Home
by Takada Saiko
Summary: Home is not a place, it is where your love resides. Rumbelle. OutlawQueen. Mention of SwanFire. AU post 3X11
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This began as a one-shot, but it worked out nicely for an idea that's been bouncing around in my head for a couple of weeks now. I've been working out the kinks in it, and I'm hoping I have it well worked out enough that I can update at least semi-reguarly. That's the plan. It's set after Regina tears up the curse and they're transported back to the Enchanted Forest.

* * *

**Home**

If someone had told him at the beginning that Storybrooke would become home he would have fallen to the ground laughing. It was in the World Without Magic. A means to an end. A relatively quick stopping place on his way to his son. That was all. A point on a long road, nothing more.

He was the Dark One, after all. As long as he was separated from Bae, he had no home.

And yet here they were. Bae and all.

It was strange, because while he had been fully under the same curse as everyone else until hearing Emma's name - and keeping a straight expression with all the memories of power, pain, and plans flowing suddenly back to him had been a challenge even for him - there had always been a sense that something was missing, of temporary in the midst of the stagnant. Even with his abilities, he'd never been able to predict this. Never this joy where there had been so much darkness.

"Thinking awful hard on something, Pop."

Rumplestiltskin blinked, glancing over to where his son - his Baelfire - had come to lean up against the same railing that he was standing at. There was a relaxed ease about him. Contentment, Rumple thought, and why shouldn't there be? A small smile perked his lips as he turned his gaze to where Henry was testing the height of the tire swing, Belle playing with him with a laugh that would have cast away any darkness. "Just this," he answered and Bae knew what he meant.

"Not bad, in the end," Bae agreed. "He's really warmed to you."

"He's a good kid."

"Admit it, he's grown on you too."

"Oh I'm not denying that," Rumplestiltskin chuckled and joined his son in leaning. He paused, feeling the truth bubble up in his throat and he let the words make their way from his lips before he could change his mind. He had to be brave. Belle had taught him that. If he wanted to keep them, he had to be brave. "I wouldn't trade anything for this, Bae. You were right all along, son."

"I'm sorry? Can you say that again. Not sure I heard you right," his son asked in a teasing tone.

Rumple snorted, pulling a grin from Bae. "You heard me."

"I know, Papa." The mirth faded now, his shoulders slumping a bit and everything seemed so far away. It was just father and son, laughter distant and light. "I miss you."

This startled the elder man and he turned. "I'm right here, son. I know past actions may not add credibility, but I'm not going anywhere. I swear that to you, Bae."

Baelfire gave him a sad smile, turning. He leaned in, his hand finding his father's and he held it tight to his chest, an old gesture between them. Tears stood in his eyes and Rumple tried to push back the terrible sinking feeling that threatened to swallow him. "I know you want to mean that, Papa."

"I do mean it, Bae. I'll prove it, son. You'll give me that chance, won't you?" Fear was creeping in and the man that regretted letting go more than anything in all the worlds held his son's hand in a death grip. "I won't let you go. Never again. You and Henry and Belle... I won't let go."

Bae looked like he might break and the laughter had faded now, leaving only the father and son standing with an unimaginable weight pushing against them. Rumplestiltskin felt as if something were trying to pull him away, to break his grip, but he held firmly, his promise acting as a tether.

"You saved us, Papa," Baelfire whispered. "And you had to let go... to save us. I don't blame you. I love you, Papa, and I miss you more than I thought I could again."

"But I'm right here," his father whispered brokenly, pushing hard against memories that stirred.

Henry.

Neverland.

Pan.

The magic cuff and his shadow and the dagger.

"But I'm right here," he tried to convince himself.

"It's just a dream, Papa," Bae managed and the howling winds of memory pulled Rumplestiltskin away in a strange flash of light and pain.

* * *

The light was bright, blinding. It seared into his mind and felt like it was cutting through him. No, he reminded himself as he was pulled so painfully back from the dream that could never be, it wasn't the light. It was the knife.

The knife that bore his name. The one that he'd used to save his family.

_Was it worth it?_ a small, dark voice whispered into his mind.

Rumplestiltskin smiled and held on to the earliest moments of his dream. Henry and Belle playing in the park. Bae standing next to him, forgiving him. Loving him. "Yeah," he whispered into the nothingness, "it was worth it."

* * *

Ogres. He really hated ogres. He always felt like he was two steps away from being torn limb from limb.

He stumbled, rolled, and was on his feet again all in one motion. Make that half a step away.

The thing would have had him, too, had an arrow not buried itself deep in the creature's eye, the ogre collapsing to the ground and nearly landing on Baelfire. The young man dusted himself off and glanced over to the archer that had saved him.

Snow's expression was not a happy one, even as he mumbled his thanks. "I am _not_ going to be the one to explain to my daughter that you were ripped to pieces by an ogre when we finally get her home."

This had become their normal, as strange as it was. They'd returned to the Enchanted Forest in a whirl of magic, landing them not too far from Charming and Snow's old castle. The thing was in disrepair, causing several of their party to pause sceptically upon sight - Regina being one if the loudest protesters, but she fumed in silence when reminded it was her curse that had caused the damage - and they'd set to putting things in order. Repairs were done, dangers cleared to the best of their abilities, and hope clung to like a lifeline.

_When we finally get her home. _

Baelfire had told her he would see them again. He'd promised it, and with everything he'd come to know stripped from him, he kept hold of the promise like an incantation. Perhaps it was. Perhaps if he said it again, over and over enough times in his mind, he'd find a way to reach her. For months that had kept him going, and every time he felt that deep, horrible ache setting in his chest, threatening to cut off his air and crush his heart, he would think on it. A few nights, when the lamps had all been snuffed out and he was alone, he would even whisper it into the empty, cold room.

"The Captain is due back in tomorrow," Snow was saying as they walked. "He should have news. I'm certain this time."

"It took my father somewhere near three centuries to cross the worlds," Bae murmured and his love's mother gave him a shove that caught his attention.

She glared. "If he'd had as many minds working on it as we do he'd have managed years before."

This brought a small smile to his lips. "Nothing gets you down."

"No time for that," Snow White grinned. It faded slowly though as she watched the young man trudge ahead. "Neal?"

He stopped and turned.

"Listen... I know it's been rough, but we will find Emma and Henry."

"I know."

_I'll see both of you again. I'll see both of you again. I'll see both of you again. I'll see both of you again._

_I'll see both of you again. I'll see both of you again. I'll see both of you again._

It filled the silence.

* * *

As much as he appreciated them, there were times when the Charmings could be infuriatingly optimistic to the point that he just needed a breath. In those moments, Baelfire had found one person amongst those he'd gotten to know over his time in Storybrooke and here in the Enchanted Forest. She was stronger than he would have thought, just looking at her. Her nose was always buried in a book and she'd pop off ideas that no one had come close to from her corner, peering over the top of the pages with a glimmer of mischief in her blue eyes.

He'd asked once, right after they'd come back, how she and his father had met. Belle had smiled at him, that certain kind of strength holding her together, but it had been too soon. Some months later though, with no prompting at all, she'd told him that Rumplestiltskin had saved her town and she'd gone with him. The story had tumbled out then, a mixture of tears and love and pain. It was the first time she'd cried in front of him. He wagered that few had ever seen her break like that evening.

Since then they'd spoken freely, finding a bond in pain. She let him speak about Emma and how much he missed her, how he'd thought he had another shot, how he had planned to win her back. He had it all worked out, before Pan's curse. What was he going to do? He was going to be honest. As honest as any person could be, he'd told Belle one night, sitting on the floor of a room with books scattered all around. She wasn't reading that night, though, she was listening. He'd spoken of Emma and Henry and she'd remembered his father.

Bae hadn't spoke of his papa much since that day in Storybrooke. He wasn't entirely sure why. Every time he thought he'd found the reason it switched. One day it would make him want to cry and scream and rage, hurling accusations at the thoughts in his head. Then he would feel guilty, remembering that anger wasn't all he had anymore. His father had died for him. For Henry. For all of them. Then the guilt would switch flavours and he'd feel like he needed to make room to focus on Emma and Henry. He could reach them, someday. His papa was gone.

And then there were times when he just couldn't help it. They were rare, as he'd become very good at pushing Rumplestiltskin from his mind, but sometimes the weight of his grief was more than he could bear alone.

"I had a dream about him last night," Baelfire murmured into the quiet room.

Belle looked up from her book, blue eyes softening and he knew his face had come to her mind. "A good dream?"

"Mostly. I realized what it was halfway through and I think that's what woke me up."

She made a small sound of understanding and scooted to give him room to sit if he chose to. He moved closer but never sank down to the bench. He was nervous, speaking the words aloud.

"We were back in Storybrooke and everything was... Just as it should have been. The way it was meant to be. We'd taken Henry to the park and you were playing with him. Papa and I were just... talking. It was nice. Comfortable. I didn't think I could miss him so much."

Belle set the book down and stood. "He loved you, you know that don't you, Bae?"

"In the end, yeah," he murmured. He paused, feeling very self-centered. Here he was, talking about how much he missed him like he was the only one to care. "I'm sorry, I-"

"He was your father," Belle chastised lightly as if she'd read his mind. "Don't feel guilty for missing him. Not on my account."

He felt a real smile perk his lips. There was no question in his mind that she had been part of the change he'd seen in the end. She'd been his light in what must have been a very, very dark world.

"I just never thought it would hit so hard," Bae murmured, his words having swirled around in the void of his mind for far too long. Too put away until they grew and grew and were ready to burst.

Without warning she wrapped her arms around him. "I miss him too," she whispered.

* * *

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two. **

It was like he was drowning. He would have thought death might have hurt less. He deserved it, he supposed, but it would still be nice if he could just float away. The emotional torment would be bad enough, why add physical as well? Finally, when he decided that the numbness might not come as hastily as he would like, he cracked one eye open.

Well, at least he knew why it felt like he was drowning.

He'd never been a great swimmer, but there were survival instincts that kicked in then - funny, how could one have survival instincts if one was dead? - and he began to thrash, arms wild and legs kicking. There was light just above and he reached for it. Something in his mind said that was dangerous for men like him, reaching for the light, but he did it anyway. Perhaps there was some salvation in self-sacrifice after all.

He broke surface then, gasping and sputtering. The waves crashed against him and threatened to take him back down to their depths. He was already growing tired of the struggle, but he was now questioning the certainty of death. Unless death was an ocean. He didn't think he'd like that very much, but who is really overly fond of death?

"Oi!" a voice called out, startling him and something landed hard against the water several yards away. A rope. The waves were coming off a boat, he saw, so the doubts over his demise were solidifying in his mind. Time for self preservation, he supposed and he reached out for it, fingers grasping tight to the woven rope just above the weight they'd used to throw it.

They hauled him to the side and called for him to hold on. He wanted to yell back that he wasn't sure he had it left in him to do so, but his voice wasn't working properly as he was still choking on the mouthfulls of water he'd taken in. So he just clung as they began to hoist him up and he put his left foot against the weight to balance. He slipped twice and he could hear the men above making noise about it until hands grabbed at his coat and hauled him over the railing.

He slammed into the deck, all strength leaving him and the fight for life washing out now that he was as safe as he might hope for. All he could do was sputter, lungs trying to expel the water now that they weren't busy trying to decide what to do with more of it coming in.

"So what do we have here?" a voice called from further up the deck.

He knew that voice. With a sigh, he was certain he knew that voice. Time to pull himself together, he supposed.

"Where'd you wash up from, mate?" Captain Hook asked in a jolly tone. At least he was in good spirits.

The near-drowned man forced himself to sit up, still sopping wet in his fine-tailored suit. A devilish grin crossed his features and the entire deck went silent as Rumplestiltskin loosed a low, hoarse chuckle. "Storybrooke."

Hook was the first one to break it, a sharp laugh escaping him. "I'll be damned," he muttered. "Looks like we caught a crocodile."

The words held no malice to them and Rumple took a moment to consider the truce they'd struck in Neverland might still stand. After all, Hook was always going on and on about his code and he hadn't proved a terrible ally.

"Truce stands?" the pirate asked, as if reading the hesitation in the smaller man's mind.

"I'd say that would be mutually beneficial," Rumplestiltskin answered with a broad grin and Hook hauled him to his feet.

* * *

It was a strange feeling to be in a world with magic and yet not quite be able to grasp it. He hadn't said as much to the pirate captain, but Hook was no fool. When he'd pulled the supposedly dead man to his feet Rumplestiltskin had nearly taken a nosedive when he had put too much weight on his right foot without anything to support it. Hook had caught him without missing a beat and had said nothing about it, merely yelled at his crew to get them to shore as planned, and he had ushered the former Dark One below deck

Former.

Rumplestiltskin hadn't thought it possible to simple give up his dark powers. Granted, he'd never really wanted to either. Magic was power and he needed power. Without it, he was nothing, as he'd portrayed on the upper decks of the _Jolly Roger._

"That flag you're flying under," he began roughly, his throat still not forgiving the abusive saltwater just yet. "The one the Charmings used to fly over their castle."

"It is," Killian acknowledged. "Alliances were kept even when we came back."

"Regina broke the curse then. Countered Pan's?"

Hook risked a look in his former advisary's direction. He was leaning heavily, but hadn't taken a seat, dark brown eyes studying every movement the younger man made. He knelt down and began rummaging through a chest. "She did. It came with a high price."

"Which was?"

"Belle and Bae are safe," Hook assured him.

"You're not saying something."

The pirate sighed, pulling out a collection of material and tossing it at Rumple. "Emma and Henry stayed in the Land Without Magic. They have no memories of any of us. That was the price."

Rumple let out a long breath through his nose and held up what had been tossed to him. "What is this meant to be?"

"Well it's not like I stock your normal wear on my ship," the pirate growled, voice bordering on offended. "But if you'd like to freeze, you're welcome to it."

A chill rushed through him, as if the reminder that he'd been plucked from the ocean was all he needed to feel it. He still wore his suit from Storybrooke, tattered and drenched as it was, and though the clothing in his hand felt rough, it was dry. He could always make due when they docked.

"Thank you."

Hook stopped, eyeing him suspiciously until Rumple cracked a wide, devilish grin. "Don't get used to it, dearie."

The pirate snorted a laugh. "So... I take it your curse is gone since you're not... sparkling. Does that mean all your powers with it?"

Rumplestiltskin straightened. "I'm not without my uses, I assure you."

"Right... Comforting. Well, get changed. We'll be coming to port in a few moments and it's rarely an easy trip to the castle. We may not be far, but there are plenty of unfriendly creatures between here and there."

Dark eyes watched him leave and Rumple sank back again. Exhaustion pulling at every inch of him. Slowly, stiffly, he began to work his coat off, injuries that he hadn't thought had lasted pulled, not quite healed.

He felt the weight then, as if it had appeared only then tucked away in the inside pocket. His fingers wrapped around the hilt, the knife not dulled by blood or age. It was smooth where his name had been etched into the metal for the past three centuries, so much so that he could see his own reflection there.

So he was free, if he wanted to be or not. Relief and dread mixed together deep in his chest and as the cries came from above deck he thought dread was better suited.

* * *

Word reached the castle that the _Jolly Roger_ had been seen coming in to its usual docking grounds just down the shoreline. Said word was brought to them by Robin Hood that had been out scouting with some of his men. The rest remained back near the Dark Castle where they held their base. He had met Snow and Charming upon their arrival back, but other than quick introductions and a low and meaningful conversation with Baelfire over loyalties, expectations, and a few needs on both ends, he'd sent any news needed by his men. This was the first time that he himself had stepped foot into the castle, and it was quite a welcome when he was nearly toppled over by a fairey, not bothering with the small size of her kind, rounding a corner.

"Pardon, m'lady," Robin excused himself and reach a hand down to her to help her off the floor.

"Sorry, I didn't see you… there…" Green eyes blinked as Tinker Bell stared at him. Blond hair, blue eyes, ruggedly handsome. She'd seen this man before, in a tavern in the middle of bloody nowhere. Her jaw went slack and she felt her eyes standing wide open. "You!" she managed, and Robin had opened his mouth to question, only to close it again in shock as she tugged his sleeve up, revealing a lion tattoo there.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"No. No you don't. That's okay though. You don't need to know me. I'm not the one you need to know. Are you here to see Regina? Did she finally take the step to-"

"Who?"

All at once everything in her deflated. "Oh. So you're not?"

"I'm sorry, Miss, but I'm afraid I don't even know who you're referring to. I'm here to speak to the king and queen. The _Jolly Roger_ was spotted."

"Hook's back then?"

"He is."

"Well that's something. Maybe he'll have something of use for once." She brushed of her skirts and turned. When he didn't follow her immediately she shot him a look. "Are you coming?"

Robin, who prided himself on having a fair amount of courage in his reserves, couldn't seem to find enough to deny this fairey what she wanted. He followed behind her, thankfully led into a room he'd only heard described. In it stood a round table, only a few occupants sitting at it, but two looked ready to do battle then and there. He recognized the queen, who was currently not holding back her offence at what the other woman had said. Baelfire stood to the side with the king, both looking none too eager to hop into the middle.

"Sending a whole party in is _begging_ them - and Hook and his crew - to be annihilated!"

"I'm not arguing that point, Regina," Snow growled, standing with both hands pressed flat against the wood of the table. "I'm arguing the idea of _you_ leading them."

"I can get a few people down directly to them. No one dies, isn't that what you like?"

"Then I'll be part of that party."

"No."

"Give me one good reason why not."

"Because sooner or later you're going to have to decide if you're going to trust me. Now's the time. You want my help in this insane quest then I'll do it - for Henry - but I will _not_ be second guessed every step of the way. I've been nothing but good since we came home. I gave everything to do what was right. This is it. _This_ is when you make your choice to trust me or I'll go at this on my own."

The younger woman stopped, looking as if she were trying to find a way to counter the statement but could not. She sank down into a chair and massaged the bridge of her nose, looking utterly exhausted. "You're right," she admitted softly. "You're right, and I'm sorry. It's just… Hook has been our best chance to cross over and get to Emma. With more ogres than usual in the way… I just don't want to lose our chance. If I'm not there and something happens... I don't want to risk anything."

"Then I'm not sure what the argument here is."

Snow looked to her husband and Charming crossed the space between them, putting a hand on either shoulder. She leaned into his touch, sighing heavily. "There isn't one. You're idea is the best we've heard."

"Thank you," she said.

"I'll go with you," Baelfire offered.

"And you should take Robin here. He's an expert marksman, aren't you?" Think volunteered.

Robin, having been silent since they entered and watching the whole thing spilling out before them, looked startled to have the attention swing his way. "I… Yes? I'd be happy to accompany you down to the shores. My men are waiting for me down there and I'd only come up to make sure you had the news. What is your mode of travel, Lady….?"

"Regina."

"Ah. So _you're_ Regina."

Regina bristled, shooting him a glare that might have cut through steel. "Whatever you've heard is grossly exaggerated. And I've turned over a new leaf."

"I hadn't heard anything, m'lady," Robin chuckled. "Though I'd say if you fight your physical battles with as much spark as you do your verbal ones, I should count myself a lucky man indeed to have you on my side."

Tink beamed at his words and nearly skipped to Regina's side. "So it's settled. Regina will take Bae and Robin down to the shores to bring back Hook and his crew and we'll see you as soon as you get back."

The former Evil Queen risked a question glance at the fairey, but said nothing to her about it. "Fine then. Let's get going before the _queen_ changes her mind."

If Snow shot a retort back, the three of them didn't hear it as they disappeared in a swirl of magic.

* * *

TBC

Notes: So, it was actually the second time through the series that I saw the lion tattoo on Robin's arm. I love the pairing now, but I think Regina would be so fixated on everything else that she would, again, overlook what's right in front of her. We shall see.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

It looked like chaos at first glance, but if memory served him well at all, battle always looked like chaos to mere mortals. It was fast and violent and dirty, always a step away from a particularly gruesome death. It made something deep within him cringe at the thought, remembering red skies that had nothing to do with fires.

Swords clashed on deck and off. These intruders had been waiting for them, as if they'd known the pirates would dock here. They looked to have flowed over in numbers, followed shortly by angry, howling ogres that glowed faintly, somehow being controlled by their attackers. He knew magic when he saw it.

Rumplestiltskin felt the barest shift and he looked to his right just in time to dodge the blow. A blade buried itself in the doorframe that led down below deck and he stumbled against the railing of the ship. His attacker pulled the weapon free, a gleam in his eyes that could not be natural. He knew it was not natural. He stumbled, landing hard against the decking.

"You said you could be useful," Hook called, parrying his own opponent. "Now would be the time!"

Rumple's retort died on his lips as he scrambled to his feet, grabbing for the only weapon within reach. The dagger. It might not hold the dark power he'd relied on for centuries, but it was plenty sharp, and he'd learned a decent number of tricks when it came to close combat. He'd prefer pulling the strings, thinking his way out versus getting into the middle of it all, but he wasn't incapable. Sometimes, when the the cards were stacked just right, he even enjoyed it.

Granted, movement was rather limited without his cane.

He brought the knife up just in time and slammed back against the railing again, breath leaving him in a rush. "I'm too close," he growled, pushing back. "I'm _not_ dying here. You will not keep me from the ones I love."

It happened at once, a gust of power flowing from him, slamming into the man bent on spilling his blood across the wood of the ship. There was a brief flicker of realization before he was gone, thrown like a child's doll over the opposite railing.

Rumplestiltskin could feel the change within himself and he took a step forward, footing solid and he flicked his hand slightly, sending Hook's attacker flying as well. "Useful enough for you, Captain?" he asked with a curl of his lips that resembled a look the pirate had seen often. It said that Rumplestiltskin was in control.

"Found what you were looking for I see."

"Looks like it," the elder man grinned, a certain spark of mischief in his dark eyes.

They were the only ones left on the ship. Several dead sailors littered the deck and ogres were on their way up the ramp, not boding well for anyone that had descended before the attack hit. Hook looked ready to take them on, but looked back as more continued to fill the entrance, pushing and shoving and...

"They're not listening," Hook managed, staring.

"They don't have to. They're being controlled."

"The two of us aren't taking out that many."

"You're right. I am." The edges of his thin lips tugged up at the disbelieving look. "I've ended more than one Ogre War. I think I can manage one skirmish."

His words held enough confidence, but even as he spoke he could feel the power slipping away. He risked a glance down at the knife still in his hand. He hadn't wanted to before, afraid of what he would or wouldn't see there all at once. Now dark eyes saw a flicker, like a name that wasn't quite sure if it would take up residence on the metal again.

"Anytime," Hook snapped.

_Focus_. Bae. Belle. They were both waiting for him - he hoped - and if he died here they'd never even know he'd gotten back to them. He had to find them.

Nothing was happening. The creatures were barreling towards him and he heard the pirate yelling at him from behind.

_Maybe if you relax it would just happen._

His own words echoed dangerously in his mind and he pulled in a deep breath. He felt the hand close around him and then drop just as quickly. The ogre melted away, turning to dust. His brothers followed the deadly example, Rumplestiltskin not moving an inch. He watched it happen, slipped the knife back into his belt, and felt the power surge dangerously, just as the waves had earlier. It battered his mind and his body, waging a new battle for control.

"Papa?"

He was certain that it was a trick. Another dream, perhaps, but it anchored him. He turned and the dream certainly felt real as the power left him as quickly as it had come, loosed in a long breath, and all he could feel was falling.

* * *

Regina, Robin, and Baelfire landed just where the former queen had wished to: on the uppermost deck of the Jolly Roger. What they saw though was not quite as expected. Ogres, enough to rip them all to shreds without breaking a sweat - and that looked to be the fate that much of Hook's crew had met - were melted into dust. Dark and light the wind picked it up, scattering it in the waves. The pirate captain himself was standing back a bit, bloodied by battle and still gripping his sword. A familiar figure stood just beyond him, but Bae was the only one to speak it aloud.

"Papa?" The young man's voice was strangled sounding.

The figure turned, pale and worn. It was like everything that had been holding him up left him all at once and he crumbled, hitting the deck hard.

"That bastard," Regina breathed. "How'd he do it?"

Bae was moving now, taking the familiar stairs of the old pirate ship several at a time. His knees buckled, legs folding beneath him when he reached his father, and he pulled the limp form closer, checking for signs of life. When he found them, he turned dark eyes in the captain. "What the hell is going on?"

"Fished him out of the water a short time ago. Hadn't gotten the full story yet, though I doubt I ever would."

Regina descended the steps behind them. "Just today?"

"Not long before we docked. You see what happened then." He motioned to the torn men with a grimace. They'd been volunteers, put towards him by the Charmings in return for his help.

"But the curse is broken," Bae murmured. "Look at him."

There was no question that the Rumplestiltskin that lay so utterly still in his son's arms was human. Bae had seen his eyes and he knew them. They were the same eyes that had pleaded with him in The Land Without Magic and again in Neverland, both places the curse suppressed and different. But here, if he were still the Dark One, Bae knew what he would see.

The dagger peered out from his belt and Bae took it, the metal smooth. His father was free.

And alive.

Rumplestiltskin groaned and shifted, eyes fluttering open. "Bae?" he rasped.

"Yeah, Papa," his son whispered. "Right here."

A smile pulled at his lips, genuine. His hand reached clumsily up until Bae took hold. "My boy," he managed, squeezing his hand. "I was coming to find you…"

"I know. It's okay."

"Not angry with me?"

Baelfire's laugh left his throat harshly, but the smile was real as he gripped his father's hand close to his chest. "No, Pop. I'm not angry with you. I'm just glad you're okay. We've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

"Listen, sweet as this all is you were attacked, and I'd bet there will be more to follow up," Regina said as she descended the stairs. "Can you stand, Rumple?"

Hook let out a sarcastic sound. "Don't worry about me over here, love. My ship just got attacked. Fuss over him, please."

She gave him a smile that was never to be trusted. "Oh, you're big and tough, Captain. I have every faith you'll be just fine." She made her point with a hard pop to the back that made him grimace.

"We should check those down below for survivors," Robin offered, starting towards the ramp. "Join me, m'lady?"

She watched him, brown eyes careful beneath dark lashes, as if she expected the offer to be hiding something devious. He held up his hands in mock surrender, still waiting for her answer. "Well, if you insist."

Bae shook his head, not sure he wanted to know quite yet what was happening behind those many layers of curtains and walls. Some things were better left untouched. He shifted. "Papa? You still with me?"

Rumplestiltskin murmured something, but the words came out more as a quiet attempt than anything audible. His gaze was hazy now, staring up at the sky from where he lay and his hand still clutched in his son's.

"I hate to say it, but Regina's right. Those ogres were being controlled by men. We took out a couple here on the ship, but others got away. They'll be back shortly and it'd be best if we could cloak the ship and be well on our way to the castle by then."

Baelfire looked up to where Hook was standing above him, looking more than a little beaten up but certainly more steady than one would have thought for his loud complaining. Those eyes were serious though, jokes put aside as he knelt down next to the young man he would have tried to have been a father to once. Rumple's eyes had slipped closed again. Bae frowned. "He's breathing easily enough, but he's warm, like a fever's setting in."

"He's overtaxing himself," Regina said from the ramp.

"That was quick," Hook murmured.

The former queen shook her head. It hadn't taken long to realize that there was no one left to save. She motioned to her former teacher and the dagger that Bae still held in his hand. "It's clean, isn't it? Whatever happened, whatever caused him to live, it stripped him of that curse of his as well."

"He never had magic before he took it," Bae argued.

"Not that he knew. It's funny, sometimes it's so deep within us that we might never know. I was that way. Your Emma is that way. Who knows? Maybe he had a tiny bit of talent held up inside of him that grew with knowledge over the years. If you want to know anything about any form of magic, Rumpelstiltskin has been the one to ask for the past three hundred years."

"For a price," Robin chuckled from behind and it drew a smirk from Regina.

"For a price," she agreed. "So… You need a lift back to the castle or are you just…?"

This brought a grin to the rogue. "I think I'd like to spend a bit more time there. Build the bonds and the like. It can't hurt. Common goals and all of that."

"Hmm," Regina hummed and motioned for him to follow. As soon as they were in range Baelfire tightened his grip and felt the magic swirl around them. The cloaking spell washed over the ship, extending out to the dead and they were gone in the same fashion that they had come.

* * *

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Several people have asked about the dream. I promise, that _will_ be explained! All in good time.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

When he had been very young, perhaps eight or nine, his father had caught the fever that had been going around their village. It hadn't been long after his mother had left - abandoned them, he knew now - and he had never known fear like that. Doctors were scarce anyway with the Ogre Wars waging, but for a poor spinner with barely enough to get by, there was no hope of one.

For three, nearly four days Bae had done everything his limited experience could tell him to do to help the fever break. He could still remember sitting by his papa's bedside, his own helplessness pressing down against his shoulders. He'd gripped the elder man's hand and held on for dear life, convincing himself that his constant presence helped eased the labored breathing.

Many years had passed since then and Baelfire felt helpless once again. No one had known quite how to react when they'd reappeared in a swirl of magic, an ill but very much alive Rumplestiltskin clutched tightly in his son's arms. He still had not stirred and it took several steady hands and voices to pry him away, Bea clinging to him as if to let go would shatter the dream he was convinced he was walking in.

Belle had knelt down, quiet tears building in her eyes and her fingers traced every line on his face, as if making sure that she had not missed a thing in the time he'd been gone. She didn't fall into hysterics as so many others of her birthright might have done, but looked up to Baelfire and gave him the brightest smile he'd seen from her since Storybrooke. "Told you to have faith," she'd whispered, voice shaking with emotion.

Regina had explained to them that he needed rest above all. Rumplestiltskin was accustomed to pulling from a _very_ deep resovoir for his power. Without his name tied to the dagger, anything he had in him would have limits. For a man that had had no limits for so long... Well, that could be quite a wake up call.

That had been the day before. Baelfire felt like he was eight again, sitting by his father's bedside and _willing_ him to open his eyes. The difference now, and one he wouldn't have given up for the worlds, was that Belle was there too. Between the two of them, Rumplestiltskin hadn't been left alone since they'd settled him into the bed of a spare room.

She was sleeping now, having curled up next to him and their fingers were intertwined. It was the first time she'd allowed herself to fall asleep since they'd gotten him settled in and Bae wondered if she harboured the same fear as he did: that if he fell asleep, when he woke it would have all been a dream.

Part of him wanted to cry, holding into his father like he had when he was a small boy, but the tears didn't come. They were locked away behind wariness brought on by losing so much he'd held too dear.

So he sat there, hunched over in a chair by the bedside, a hollow hope in his chest that if he could just keep his eyes open that perhaps something might come from the kernel of faith.

* * *

The weight was pulling him down again, like hands reaching up from the depths and taking hold. They were shadows. Darkness reaching from darkness. They pulled at his clothes and at his limbs, nails tearing at skin and ripping at resolve. He felt a cry bubbling up in his throat, but when his lips parted all he could feel was drowning.

_You won't see them again._

Panic rose and he tried to crush it. He had to crush it to think. Bae's face drifted in his mind's eye and if he focused very, very hard, he could hear his son's voice.

_He saw._

"Saw what?" Rumplestiltskin ventured, surprised when he heard his own voice echoing. The drowning sensation subsided and it felt more like floating, the nails biting a little less and the hands holding him steadier.

The voice was growing familiar, like an old friend that had spoken to him over a number of years. It chuckled. _He saw you use magic. He'll never believe you now. Never forgive you._

"Bae," Rumple breathed. "No. No. He saw what happened. He'll understand. I was getting back to him. My boy will understand. I had to-"

_He will not understand. He cannot understand. He would rather you be dead than to fail him again and again. Just like his mother._

The words, though they echoed in his mind - perhaps in his very soul - struck hard and the darkness pulled at him again as he choked out a cry.

* * *

Baelfire wasn't sure when he'd dozed off, but the strangled sound that came from his father woke him. Belle had been pulled back to wakefulness by it as well and she was already shushing him, free hand pushing back sweat slicked hair and she pressed a kiss to his warm forehead, whispering his name.

"You look like you've done this before," Bae whispered.

"Once or twice, when I lived in his house in Storybrooke. He had nightmares there."

Dark eyes fluttered open, and Rumple looked up to find Belle leaning over him. Her name left his dry lips and a bright smile overtook her. "I'm here," she promised and kissed him.

They broke and Rumplestiltskin looked over, feeling eyes on him. He found tired, brown eyes watching carefully. "Bae..."

If this were a dream, it was too damn real to put off anymore. Baelfire reached forward, taking his father's hand in his own and held on tightly. "You're really here?" he whispered, mentally kicking himself for how broken his voice sounded

Rumplestiltskin squeezed his son's hand in return. "I'm here. I'm not leaving you again, Bae. I promise. I'll never leave you, son."

"I know, Papa. I know."

* * *

"So you fished the crocodile out of the water and saved him."

Killian Jones glanced over to the door. Doc, the dwarf that had a surprising amount of medical knowledge for someone that had hatched out of an egg, had wrapped the wounds he'd received in the battle the day before and had told him that rest was mandatory and he shouldn't stray from that room until he'd had it. Well, he'd had it, and the four walls were becoming intolerable. He'd been stretching his leg out, studying the tear in his pants and the wrappings beneath that covered a rather nasty gash he'd received to the thigh, when the fairey's voice had reached his ears. He flashed her his most charming smile and gave her a wink that had made women from more lands than he could count swoon instantly. "Tinker Bell, what a lovely surprise."

She crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe. "Quite a change from the man I once met."

The smile grew to a grin, and a rough chuckle left his throat. "You think I did it out of some good will? Ha. Well, if there's one thing I've learned over years and years of hunting down Rumplestiltskin, it's that he's a stickler for debts. Looks like he owes me one now. Don't think I won't collect on it when I'm ready."

Pretty green eyes rolled and Tink shook her head. "You could just admit that you're not _such_ a bad guy."

"But where's the fun in that, love? I could show you just how bad I can be, if you wanted to come on in."

She snorted a laugh. "Hilarious, Hook. I'm here because Snow and her husband wanted to see you about the attack. They need a full report."

"Tell them to get it from the Dark One."

"He hasn't come out yet. I don't think he's even woken up."

This caught Hook's attention. He'd expected the brief blips in power to have been a fluke caused by something or the other magical that he didn't care too much about. This was Rumplestiltskin: the Dark One. The one he'd been hunting for centuries. He couldn't imagine that a little swallowed seawater could do him much harm in the grand scheme of things, but if his curse was truly broken… Well, that did make him vulnerable, didn't it?

He caught himself. _No_, a small voice that might have once been his own conscious seemed to murmur into his mind. _You promised yourself to let it go. Emma helped you let it go. That's where your focus should be now. Let Milah rest in peace._

"You okay?"

"'Course," the pirate answered, returning to his usual smirking self. He grimaced as he put weight on his injured leg, but made his way fairly steadily over to the fairy. He watched her a moment, noting the way she hadn't actually moved even though she'd been sent to fetch him. "What?"

Excitement overtook Tinker Bell. "I have to ask: what happened between Regina and Robin?"

"Between…? What the hell do you mean? They were there, they checked my crew, and Regina brought us back."

"But nothing… between them, specifically?"

"What are you up to, fairey?"

Tink grinned and shrugged, turning on heel and sauntering down the hall. "Giving the Evil Queen her second chance."

* * *

Regina had had about as much of the charming royal pair as she could muster. Her nerves were frayed and she'd barely slept the night before as they'd kept her with question after question, as if she hadn't answered each one a dozen times over. They frustrated her. Frustrated her into wanting to turn their happy little cast to ash and storming back to her old ways. Every time she came close, though, she pulled a memory to mind and it stopped her. Wide, excited dark eyes, hair going everywhere, and holding up something he wanted to show her. Some new adventure.

_You're not a villain. You're my mom._

"They can be a bit suffocating, can't they?"

She whirled, not having heard the footsteps behind her. The outlaw, Robin Hood, stood with eyebrows raised in his question, knowing the answer anyway. "How could you ever tell?"

He chuckled at this. "I wouldn't have bothered with them if it weren't for Baelfire and Belle. I trust their judgement on it."

"I have a long and complicated history with Snow White and her dear prince."

"So I hear. Rumours, that is, if I bother to listen."

"Rumours do tend to spread."

"There are good and bad ones too, you know. The good ones are picking up speed. The so-called Evil Queen really has changed her ways. It's tentative, but I've heard it as far as Sherwood Forest."

"So you _do_ know who I am."

He offered her a thoughtful smile and motioned to the railing she'd been leaning on. "The view of the ocean is remarkable from here. May I join you?"

She nodded and Robin moved to stand next to her. "When I met you yesterday I didn't know who you were," he admitted softly. "I still feel as if I don't. I know who everyone says you were, but not who you are. I'd like to change that, if you'll give me a chance."

Regina stiffened at his soft words. "Why?"

"I can't be sure, but I feel like… Well sometimes it's like fate, isn't it? Like something that's meant to be. I've felt it once before, but…."

"But you lost it."

"You too, I'd say."

"Yes."

"Then why don't we take things slow? We'll work back layers as it makes you comfortable, m'lady, if you'll allow it."

"I'm not… very good at this."

Robin grinned. "Then just tell me one thing."

"What?"

"Anything. Anything you'd like to share."

Regina's breath caught and the image that had kept her from strangling Snow earlier played through her mind. Tears built in her dark eyes and she blinked, feeling the inexplicable cracking of a well-built wall. "I miss my son," she whispered for the first time since they'd come back to the Enchanted Forest.

"You're a mother?" Robin breathed, and his expression did not hold the surprise she expected, but more of a sudden understanding to a question he'd held. A smile perked his lips and he leaned is back against the railing so that he could face her. "Tell me about him?"

And for reasons she couldn't quite place, Regina began to tell the whole story.

* * *

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Regina was surprised how easily the story flowed. Parts were left out, of course, and others glossed over, but when she focused on Henry light was bound to shine through the darkness. Robin took it all in with quiet nods and a far-off look at times. He'd been leaning for the better part of the conversation, but as the former queen finished with the fact that she had had to pay the price for the curse by giving up her son, he straightened, eyes fixed on her.

"So he's in another land? Your Henry?"

"It was the price to save everyone." She gave a short, humourless laugh. "Never thought _those_ words would leave my mouth."

Robin offered her a small smile. "Children bring out the best in us."

Dark eyes widened just a bit at this. "You sound like you speak from experience."

The outlaw's smile widened then, a fondness taking over him. "Roland. He's a strong lad. Lost his mother early and had to put up with me while we were frozen in place during the curse. I… This is the longest I've been away from him, but hearing what you just told me makes me sound rather small, doesn't it?"

"No," Regina said quickly. "It's never small to miss those you love. No matter how long or short the duration that you're separated for is."

Robin brightened at her words. "You're something else, aren't you, your majesty?"

"I… There's no need for that anymore. I've been dethroned, to say the least. I've lost Henry, I've lost my throne… I've lost everything." She stopped, as if the realization of just how weighty her words were with this new stranger and she could feel what might have been a blush creeping to her cheeks. How long had it been since she'd felt that? "I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten into me. You don't want to hear all of this."

"On the contrary. I find every word that's left your mouth to have painted quite a different picture than others might. I try not to put too much into what others say, though. Always best to find out for yourself." He ran his hands through his dark blond hair and chuckled, blue eyes echoing the laugh. "I'm used to the forest and the mountains. I don't tend to get this close to the ocean. Does it always get this warm?"

Regina felt a smile tug at her lips. She was not unaware that he was changing the uncomfortable subject for her sake. "Warmer in the dead of summer."

Robin sighed, shrugging his jacket off from his shoulders and rolling his sleeves. "I hope this doesn't offend you, m'lady."

"I think I can handle it," she answered, the smile one of the truer ones she could remember in the past months since they'd been returned. She found herself watching him as his nimble fingers - fingers used to working a bow and hands that could work it to hit any target - smoothed the material back and her eyes caught the ink in a brief flash as he moved. They froze there as he stilled, her mind flashing back to the moment that Tink and she had stood outside of a drafty little pub in the middle nowhere, watching a man's back as he had laughed and joked with those around him. The only defining feature: a tattoo of a lion. Dark eyes saw the same inking now and she let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Fate, hm?"

"Something like it," he grinned.

* * *

It was the first few moments he'd been alone since being pulled from the crashing waves. He didn't count the time that he couldn't begin to measure that he'd been unconscious, but even then he didn't think that either Belle or Bae had left his side. It was a comfort to have them there. They were steady and they were strong. Stronger than he could ever hope to be, but maybe - just maybe - he could find a way to be a little stronger through them.

Well, _that_ hadn't lasted.

He'd nearly panicked when he'd finally come-to long enough to realize that he was no longer in possession of his dagger. His first instinct to tear the room apart in a frenzied search. He'd managed to stop short of that, hands trembling as he looked in all the hidden places he could find. Finally he'd found an object wrapped in the cloak he'd been given on the Jolly Roger and slowly he'd worked the fabric away to show the smooth metal of the knife.

Rumplestiltskin had let out a long breath and felt the fear subside, sluffing off his shoulders and lightening the weight pressing down there.

He was staring out the window now, facing the ocean that had nearly swallowed him down to his death. It hadn't, though, and he'd escaped the permanent end at least once more. He had another chance. One that he swore to himself he wouldn't botch this time. This time, he'd get it right.

"How're you feeling?"

Rumple turned, startled out of his thoughts by his son's voice. A smile tugged his thin lips upward and he set the dagger down to the table next to him. "Bae," he greeted, his voice doing nothing to hide the joy there. "Better. Much better."

"Sorry I wasn't in here. Snow and Charming called a meeting that they said we couldn't miss. How long have you been up?"

"Oh, not long," the elder man assured his son. It was funny, but ever since he'd found Baelfire in New York he felt himself at a loss at his own words when he needed them. He shouldn't be. He'd had years - centuries - to figure out what he wanted to say. He'd rehearsed, he'd planned, and he'd woven words together like straw into gold, but since he had found him he'd either said the worst possible thing imaginable or, as even now, a sort of giddy joy overtook him. He couldn't for the life of him sputter out any of the eloquent, relationship-fixing lines that he'd come up with over the years.

It didn't appear that he had to. Bae crossed the space between them in a few long steps and before Rumple knew it, his son had him in a tight hug, fingers buried in the fabric of his shirt and he returned it slowly.

"I had a dream about you a few nights ago," the younger man managed in a taught voice and without letting go. "It seemed so real. You and Belle and me had taken Henry out to the park in Storybrooke. There were no monsters, no evil… whatever to fight. Just us. Talking. You know, like it should have been." His grip tightened and Rumple could feel him shaking as everything that he'd pent up suddenly broke through the floodgates. "It was just so real. And then I woke up and you were gone. You were still gone and we thought you were dead."

Rumplestiltskin felt his chest clench. "Bae," he breathed out, his boy's name standing for many apologies and many promises that he would make for the rest of his days. Neither would ever be enough. After a moment he let out a rough chuckle. "I had the same dream, you know." It had been his tether back to reality, more of a rope than anything the pirates could have thrown to him. It had hauled him up with a promise of the few people he truly cherished. "Just before Hook fished me out of the water. Well, I say just before. I don't even know how long's passed."

"Seven, nearly eight months," Baelfire answered as he finally pulled back, face wet from the first tears he'd shed in that time. "Papa, where have you been?"

The former Dark One swallowed, crushing the rising fear. "I don't know. I was in Storybrooke. I killed Pan and I thought… I thought I'd die too. I should be dead." He paused, his mind spinning fast. "Hook said Emma and Henry didn't come through with you."

"No, Henry staying was the price Regina had to pay. If Emma had come with us, he'd have been alone."

"Your price too, it seems. I'm sorry, son."

"We're going to get them back," Bae said firmly, feeling it for the first time since they'd left the Land Without Magic. "That's what the Charmings wanted to talk about this morning. To Belle and me, I mean. They wanted to know if you… Where you stood on everything."

"I don't know how much help I'll be on the magic front, Bae. Whatever happened, whatever brought me back…." He reached around behind him to show the proof to his next words. "The dagger's clean."

"Then you're free, Papa."

"So it'd seem."

"But you used magic on Hook's ship. I saw it."

Rumple cringed, but the look his son was giving him was hopeful, not accusatory. "What are you asking me, son?"

Now it was Baelfire's turn to look sheepish, as if it had just occurred to him that he was all but begging his father to do something he'd never have touched on before. Perhaps he truly had become a desperate soul himself. "Nevermind… I-"

"I'll do anything for you, Bae, if it's in my power. That's the problem, son. I don't know what is. I don't know if I can control… whatever that was. I don't know where it came from." He paused and reached up to touch the side of Baelfire's face, thumbing at the wet marks that had just begun to dry. "Don't look discouraged. I'll figure it out. I just need to test it. Whatever I have in me, whatever power may still reside, I'll use it to help you. That's all I ever wanted."

"To turn it for good," his son whispered the earliest hopes of taking the Dark One's powers.

Rumplestiltskin smiled. "To turn it for good. You'll help me do that, won't you? To be the man you want me to be?"

Bae echoed the smile. "It's good to have you back." He stopped then, looking over his papa's shoulder to the window behind him, and his own dark eyes focused out in the distance. "Hook's ship is the only one that docks here."

Rumple turned, spying the white sails of a ship that flew no flag. "Never a breath with this lot."

His son sighed. "We'd get bored otherwise. I'll go check with the others and see what's going on."

"I'll come with you, son. I need to stretch my legs a bit. See exactly where I stand." He took a step out and his bad ankle gave way. Bae was halfway to catching him when he managed to steady himself. "Don't suppose my old cane came through with everyone?"

"No, but I think I have something better. Get dressed and I'll bring it in."

* * *

A few minutes later Rumple was dressed in less than his usual finery - whether it be his leathers of the Enchanted Forest or his fine-tailored suits of Storybrooke - but not quite as drab as the near rags that Hook had so _generously_ offered him. It wasn't bad, he decided. He wasn't ready to stand out just yet, and if there was one thing he had learned over the years it was to always be ready if you're going to put yourself out for others.

Bae returned quickly, a long walking stick in hand. His father recognized it immediately and took it, fingers ghosting over the notches that he'd dug into it so many, many years before. "I think you outgrew it."

The younger man grinned, looking down at the top of the stick that didn't reach Rumple's chin. "Yeah. A while back."

There was something strangely comforting to Bae hearing the sound of that old staff tapping against solid flooring. They moved slowly, Rumplestiltskin not looking anywhere near his usual self. He looked tired above all, the events having taken a toll higher than he knew he'd have to pay.

Belle nearly leapt from her place at the round table when they entered. Her royal upbringing did wonders to keep her seated, though she nearly bounced with excitement. The chair next to her was left open - Bae's chair, Rumple realized - and all eyes were turned on them as they entered.

Charming stood, brash as always, and Snow had her hand on his arm instantly. The smile she wore spoke of hope and hesitation mixing together like a potion that had the potential to bring them all that they desired… or destroy everything. "Rumplestiltskin. How're you feeling?"

Dark eyes traveled over the other occupants. Granny glared, though not quite as harshly as she used to and Red looked like she might even be happy to see him. Her place on Belle's other side spoke of why. A couple of the dwarfs and Geppetto filled seats and Jiminey once again had to rely on his horn to be heard by all. There were faces he'd never thought he'd see there: Regina being the most obvious. She looked borderline happy to see him, though her smile was carefully guarded. It looked like they'd made room for the thief Robin Hood, and Rumple vaguely remembered seeing him on the deck of the Jolly Roger. Tinker Bell sat in human form and, of all people, Killian Jones sat on her other side. He was glaring, though Rumple thought there was less hatred and more habit in it.

"Better," he finally echoed his earlier words. His thin lips curled into a smile that each and every person at that table would know well. "For a dead man, that is."

Snow's smile did not falter. "I hope your room is comfortable. We'll pull up an extra chair. It seems our table's growing lately."

Rumple managed to keep his expression even as Bae pulled a chair up and squeezed it between his own and Belle's. Finally, his dark eyes flickered to Snow White's. "My my," he breathed, "things are _quite_ the way they were, aren't they, dearie? Yes, very comfortable. So much more than the last one you so _graciously_ offered me."

The smile twitched slightly.

"Mary Margaret, we couldn't find a place for Thomas or Philip, but we can find a place for Rumplestiltskin?" Charming's voice had been low, but not so low that the subject of his statement had missed it, nor the reply that the young, fair queen gave.

"He saved our lives in Storybrooke."

"And you hope I'll now step in to save your daughter and grandson," Rumple said as he sat, leaning his walking stick against the table. He could feel the tension settle in, waiting to know what was going to happen.

"What's your price for it?" Grumpy demanded.

Snow shot him a look that immediately silenced him. Her eyes turned back to the former Dark One. "He's your grandson too."

"As I am well aware."

"Then you'll help?"

They were staring at him and the centuries-deep need to put on a performance to hide his own discomfort surfaced, but Belle had a hand on his shoulder before he could let the sarcastic words tumble from his lips. She gave him a meaningful look._ These are your friends_, it said. _Don't push them away._

_These were never my friends_, his own eyes returned, but his gaze withered under hers. He knew better than to argue with her, even without words.

"Pop's a bit under the weather," Baelfire answered for him when silence had followed. "His name's gone from the knife, so we're still figuring out exactly what he did a few days ago."

A few days? He hadn't realized he'd been out that long.

Snow White nodded, taking the statement for what it was. "We've had our differences, but you're welcome here, Rumplestiltskin. Your son's been a great help these last few months, not to mention Belle's presence here as well. If you need anything, we're family now, remember?"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes only because of the two people on either side. Instead he sighed, pushing the breath out in an irritated fashion he usually reserved for people that entered his shop when the sign read closed. "I'd assume you didn't gather here today just to discuss my magical abilities or lack there of?"

"There was an unknown pirate ship sighted coming into shore," Red said. She shrugged when Granny shot her a glare. "What? Snow said he's on our side now. Maybe he can help."

"I'm handling this," Hook snapped from across the table.

"Do we know if they're enemies yet?" Belle asked. "They could be coming to help."

"Pirates are not known for their loyalties," Robin said.

"Neither are outlaws," Hook groused. "Or dethroned Evil Queens, for that matter."

Regina bristled at the comment, but before anything else was said Snow had both hands slammed against the table, gaining attention. "Enough! Listen, I know we all have our differences. Many of us have fought each other for _years_, but we have common goals. That's what has brought us together. We're stronger together, and I won't be swayed from reaching our goals because our one weakness undoes our strength." She glanced over to Bae. "Neal, you have a good feel for strengths and weaknesses. Get a small team together to check this out. David and I are due to handle some issues from the townspeople. We trust you."

Baelfire nodded and stood as the two royals exited and Rumple couldn't help the blossom of pride deep within him. Almost as quickly it was countered with a sense of agitation, stemming from the ease in which Snow White had spoken to his son. As if he were her child. It didn't seemed far-fetched for them to have psudo-adopted him with Emma gone and he being the father of Emma's son, but the jealousy clawed at him, even as he crushed it down with reason. No need to make enemies of them again just yet. Bae was happy he was back. He wouldn't lose that.

"Captain, I can't do this without you. That goes without saying, but I need you to keep a cool head, no matter who we find on the other end. If you've crossed swords with them, but they're here to help, I need to know you're going to take it in stride."

"I will."

"Good. Thanks. Robin?"

"Happily."

"Papa?"

The room froze, all eyes on Baelfire instead of the man who he'd named. Even Rumple gave him a questioning glance.

"You said you needed to stretch your legs. Regina, I think you should come too, in case things don't run smoothly with his magic." He glanced back at his father. "You need to test it, right?"

"I do."

"Good. This may give us a chance. Best case: they're here to help and you get some fresh air. Worst case: we have a battle on our hands."

"And even if if he can't pull the same amount of power down, Rumple has a fairly long and dangerous reputation to bring to the table at least," Regina said, her voice not giving way to any sarcasm. Her eyes met her former teacher's and there was an understood truce there. No killing each other. No undermining each other. They had to be on the same side to get what they wanted.

"Settled then. If we're ready, let's go check out this ship."

"Bae?"

He turned, finding Belle standing and looking entirely hurt. "I'm not useless, you know. I'd like to come along if I could."

Baelfire stepped aside, pulling her with him. "I need your skills somewhere else," he whispered. "You have Papa's old books, don't you?"

"I do. You picked up the last bunch last time you went to the Dark Castle."

"Look through them. Anything you can find on the Dark One curse. Anything that can help us figure out if he's free from this or not."

"But his name isn't on the knife. I saw it. You saw it. He's safe."

"I can't shake this feeling."

"Have you asked him?"

"Would he tell me?"

"He might. You should try. Talk to him."

"I think Papa's just as confused as the rest of us. What happened shouldn't happen. Dead is dead, right? I need all your skills on this, Belle. For Papa."

She smiled, glancing over to find her Rumple looking questioningly over at them. "Alright, but promise me something? You'll be honest with him. Let's not do things behind each other's backs. If we're honest with him, he'll be honest with us. I know it. But if we lie to him… Bae, your father struggles with the fear that people will leave him. That they're lying to the point that they can simple slip out. If anyone should be honest with him, it's us. To do otherwise will do more damage than we can fathom."

"Yeah… I get you. I'll talk to him."

"Please do."

"Just let me know what you find?"

She nodded and he gave her a strained smile in return before turning to the small group that he'd chosen. "Let's see what our visitors are like."

* * *

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six.**

"You going to carry that thing around?"

"What thing?"

Bae shot his father a look. "I'm not blind."

Rumplestiltskin blinked, dark eyes following to where his son was motioning to the dagger tucked carefully away, only a bit of the hilt showing from beneath his cloak. He pulled the material around to conceal it better and shrugged. "Three centuries of habit is difficult to break," he offered.

"You worried?" Baelfire's voice was low so it couldn't be heard by the others. "That you won't be able to defend yourself with magic if things go bad?"

"It's a concern," his father answered and it seemed enough for Bae to take as truth. It was true, so he wasn't _lying_ to him. It just wasn't the only truth. He hadn't mentioned it to either Bae or to Belle. There was no reason to worry them prematurely. Or at all, really, if he could get everything under control within himself. His name had flickered across the dagger when he'd pulled his defences from some depth he had found within himself. It hadn't stayed, nor had he been entirely sure of what he saw, but the more the thought on it the surer he became. He'd seen it.

Guilt pulled at him when he glanced over to his son, who had moved to chat with Robin as if they were old friends.

"You're thinking pretty hard on something, Rumple."

All at once the mask fell into place and smile perked his lips, teasing. "Some of us like to do that before rushing headlong into an unknown situation, dearie. Perhaps it'd do you some good from time to time."

Regina rolled her eyes. "You really are a bastard, you know that don't you?"

"So I've been told. By you, in fact. Many times."

"Not enough," she countered with a more relaxed smile. They fell into the banter easily enough, an old rivalry both endearing and dangerous at once. They both held strong behind their walls, careful of who they let approach, and even more selective as to whom they let in. It was a very short list on either side, and neither had ever made the cut. Regina, for her part though, at least was feigning genuine concern with the best of them when she reached out hesitantly, the touch unusual. "How are you?"

"I'm holding together."

"That's… not entirely what I meant. You've always taught me magic comes with a price and I've never seen anything truer than it. You pulled from power you didn't have on the _Jolly Roger_."

"What makes you think I don't have it?" he asked lowly as they fell to the back of the small group walking.

"Because you've been mostly unconscious for five days. You overreached whatever powers you have left by quite a bit to have done that to yourself and…" She paused, studying him. "And you don't show weakness."

"I'm _fine_."

"Listen, I know you don't trust me. We've never given each other a reason to, but… This is about Henry - and Emma - in the end. We're on the same side because of that now."

Rumple was surprised how truthful her voice rang. It reminded him of the girl he'd given that mirror to so many, many years ago. "I'll keep it in mind," he promised and he meant it.

He wasn't used to relying on others' magic to travel by. The last time he'd resided in the Enchanted Forest he'd popped in and out as he pleased. He was in his own castle one moment and would be across the lands the next, striking some deal with some desperate soul. He always knew how to tell a desperate soul.

Now Regina was spelling them down to the shores again, cutting their time traveling down the hill by quite a bit. Probably more than usual, with him limping along with them. Weakness. She was not wrong on that front.

They landed on a small hill overlooking the treeline, just short of the beach. They were down a ways from where Hook's ship was docked and cloaked. The dead from the battle had been retrieved and buried all while Rumplestiltskin slept.

"They're not flying a flag," Hook said as he peered through his spyglass.

"If they haven't touched shore here they may not even know anyone is here," Robin murmured thoughtfully. "We were pretty sparsely populated until the lot of you came back. They may not have a flag to fly under."

"I love your optimism, outlaw," Hook muttered and snapped the glass shut. "Though I'd wager it's misplaced."

"You think they're attacking?" Bae asked and motioned for the contraption. He extended it again when it was given over and peered through. "They look well enough equipped to."

"Doesn't mean they will. Doesn't mean they won't. Hard to say from this distance."

"Then let's get in closer."

If Hook was going to argue with the younger man, it was cut short as Baelfire began picking his way down through the trees and towards the beach. Robin looked at home and was dressed for quick movement through the wooded area, but Regina glared at the loose dirt. Before Rumple had time to question she had enveloped both of them in dark smoke and they landed at the bottom, meeting Bae there. The former queen grinned wickedly. "While picking you up at off your face at the bottom of the hill would have been great fun, we are here with a purpose," she said by explanation and Rumplestiltskin thought he was showing great improvement in the fact that he resisted the urge to take a swing at her with his walking stick.

The ship was coming in now, seemingly oblivious to the small party looking for a hint as to their motives. It came right up to the shore, showing that the crew had been there at least at some point prior, knowing the beach well enough to avoid the rocks on either side. There was a sound of waves crashing against its hull and the bottom of the ship scooting along the sandy shore until it came to a stop. A rope ladder was thrown over the side and they spotted several people descending.

Rumple felt a chill settle down over him. It was an old feeling that had begun after he'd struck a deal with the seer in the woods and had taken on her Sight. It usually meant a vision was coming. He stopped, the vertigo that always accompanied it causing him to tighten his grip around his staff, but the blur of images never came. There was just sand and waves and the sound of barely rustling trees immediately around them. He closed his eyes, reaching out for something that wasn't there.

Like a warning with no information.

Useless.

"Papa?"

He blinked, realizing that he'd been reaching too deep into the now dry well. Perhaps the incident on the Jolly Roger really had been a fluke and his magic was gone for good. "I'm fine," he assured his son.

"No," Bae said, eyes catching his. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" He stopped, sighing. "I don't know. For a moment, I thought I could reach something useful, but now it's simply not there."

"Did you s_ee_ something?" Regina asked.

"No. Nothing."

Baelfire looked uneasy and ran his hands through his hair, trying to pull his thoughts together. "Hook, Regina, why don't we head down the way. We'll meet up with them and see what's going on. Whatever they're doing now, they're not armed for a battle. That's not their current purpose, so let's take advantage of that. Robin, I need you to be my eyes up high. If things go south, I need a sniper. Papa…"

No one could have missed the hesitation there. Bae thought he'd misread his father, had put more faith in old abilities than he should have.

"I'm not completely without my uses," Rumple cut off the request to stay behind before it could leave the younger man's tongue. "Regina was right. I have a long and dangerous reputation. And I'm a damn good bluff if I need to be."

"Alright."

"Good."

Regina caught his eye only briefly, but he broke contact just as quick. He didn't want to hear it from her. He didn't want to hear it from anyone. He was clever and well-versed in more than just magic. Even if he never touched on it again, if it always remained just beyond his grasp, he'd be damned if he couldn't be of use to Bae.

* * *

There were perhaps ten of them coming further into shore and a few more just beyond. They were led by a tall, burly man that stood heads over any of them. He didn't blink at their approach, but a glare met Killian's broad, welcoming grin. He knew another pirate when he saw one, and there was a distinct lack of trust.

Baelfire sucked in a long breath. Half of the people that he'd brought down with him knew that this was his first leadership role that the Charmings had thrown him into. Sure, he'd been along for many a hunt, many a rescue, but this was the first one where the lives solely depended on his word. They'd worked him up to it. He thought he was ready, but standing at the edge of a potentially life-ending mistake made him question.

He cleared his throat, feeling his papa at his side. He was not unaware that many eyes were on Rumplestiltskin and when he risked the briefest of glances over, he would have been afraid too had he been any one of them. He might not have _looked_ like the Dark One, with his pale completion and smoothed hair, but Bae seen the smile his father wore many times in his childhood and it had been haunting. Of all the terrible things he'd seen in the year and a half that he'd lived with him after he'd taken the Dark One's powers, they were always followed up by that smile.

"Rumour has it that the Dark One died during the Curse," the large man said. "Yet I see that King David and Queen Snow have sent him down to bully lowly pirates into their bidding."

"Not to bully, no," Rumple said with a light tone in his voice. "I'm simply here as a bystander. No trouble if you don't cause any, dearie."

"I'm not your dearie, mate."

"Hoho," the former wizzard breathed out. "And I'm not your mate, dearie. So I suppose, if we're done with your _trivial_ power struggle, shall we get down to business?"

"What's your purpose on our shores?" Bae cut in, taking a step forward. He had to admit, even without magic his father had certainly learned how to manipulate people into silence. No one had missed the small step back that the mountain of a man had taken and Rumpelstiltskin had not moved an inch.

"To bring a message."

"From where?" Regina growled, not bothering to hide her own hostility.

"From the Lands Restored."

Hook tensed at this, blue eyes watching them each in turn. "That's a myth."

"Is it?" the taller pirate countered. "My captain wishes to take it directly to the king and queen."

"Not bloody likely," Killian scoffed and Bae shot him a warning look.

"C'mon, you can't think we're just going to march you straight up to the castle. No faster than you'd make use the honoured guests on your ship. We need a sign of good will."

"And what would you take as a sign of good will?"

"Your name," Rumple said, his head tilted to the side as he studied the pirate. "For starters."

"I know better than to give my name to _you_."

"He's not wrong," Hook chuckled. "Let's start this with a little give and take, shall we? I'm Killian Jones, though you may have heard of me as Captain Hook."

"I have heard of you, Captain Hook. My own captain had heard rumours that you served under the king and queen now. Such a waste."

"Not if our goals are inline. Then it's just good business, my friend."

A small smile perked his lips and he nodded. "Jack Hayes," he said at last. He turned the strangest ice-blue eyes on Bae. "And you? You're the unknown face amongst this little band."

"Neal. Neal Cassidy."

"Well, Neal Cassidy, why don't you tell me what else you're looking for before you allow us passage to speak with the queen and king?"

"I think it's time we talk to your captain directly. He wants an audience, he's got to clear us first."

Jack Hayes' lips curled upward in a half snarl, have smirk. "Does _he_?"

"Yes, he does," Baelfire snapped, feeling the need to to make his own authority known. Each of the others had a reputation to lean on, but Bae had left the Enchanted Forest before adulthood, before he'd made any real mark on more than just a few people. Not like they'd recognize him now.

"And what if _he_ is a _she_? What do you say to that, lad?" a feminine voice rang out and the pirates parted way for the owner of it. She stood with one hand on her hip, clad in leathers that suited the open seas and with a hat perched on her head that was all show. Her lips wore a condescending smile like it was painted there.

Bae couldn't force his lungs to work, but it was his papa that breathed out the name in disbelief. "Milah?"

* * *

TBC

A/N: So I have to admit, I've been waiting for this chapter. For the ending to this chapter. I'm curious about everyone's reaction...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven.**

Milah stood surrounded by pirates. They'd let her walk through them easily, filling in on either side in a protective manner. If the sword she wore on her hip or the gun she had strapped to her thigh were any indication, she didn't really need a protector, muchless ten. The smile remained like a mask settled well into place, though her grey eyes narrowed slightly when they came to rest on the man she'd once been married to. She didn't back down, but straightened if anything, and her fingers danced closely to where the gun was holstered as if she thought she could be quick enough to get to it. "Rumple," she greeted icily. "I'd heard you were dead."

"Funny, I _knew_ you were," he answered flatly, expression carefully blank.

"Milah?" It was Hook that called out this time, eyes wide and he'd taken an unsteady step forward. "It can't be."

She turned to the pirate, the smile shifting to one of fondness. "Killian."

The others watched as she crossed the distance between them and threw her arms around her former lover. Hook hadn't moved past that first step and he seemed frozen in place, eyes wide even as her lips covered his and his hands lingered in the air over her shoulders, as if caught between fear and something that he'd almost forgotten.

Rumplestiltskin risked a glance at his son who stood just to his right, face as carefully masked as his own. As it was becoming increasingly more clear that they'd been forgotten by the two pirate captains, Bae cleared his throat. "Hate to interrupt."

To his credit, it was Hook that pulled back and looked half-way embarrassed. He shot Bae a look and had opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced in one glare. The younger man met his mother's eyes then, and she blinked back at him, unaware. "I'm afraid I missed your name, lad."

"Neal."

"Well, Neal, I'd ask you take Captain Jones' word on the matter of trust. I'm afraid the Dark One and I have a rather… complicated history. Though I must say… the both of you on the same side is not something I would have seen coming."

"Even enemies can come together for a common goal," Rumple answered. His face had remained as blank as it had when she'd first made her presence known, but something wild was stirring in his brown eyes, like it was just barely contained. As if the mask might crack at any point to reveal a much darker storm beneath the calculated calm.

"Hook?" Bae called and the captain nodded.

"I'll… vouch for her," he said unsteadily.

"Fine. Robin?" Baelfire called towards the trees and the outlaw dropped from one of the branches. He purposefully ignored the looks he received as he turned his eyes back to the woman he'd once known. "Just her. The others can stay with the ship."

"We will not relinquish our captain to you as if she were a prisoner," Hayes snapped.

"And I'm not bringing a whole crew worth of pirates to the castle gates."

"Just Jack then," Milah offered. "That's a compromise that allows us both a bit of room, isn't that true?" She glanced over to Hook as he shot her a questioning look. "Don't be jealous."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he answered back automatically.

"Fine. Just him, no more. Get together what you need."

Rumplestiltskin reached out for his son as soon as Milah was turned, the younger man looking like he might deflate. Two pairs of eyes - the same shade - met, and Bae let loose a long breath. "Don't say anything," he murmured and his father nodded. "You okay with this?"

"No, but we're on this path now. Time to take control over it."

If his father's words worried him, Bae didn't have time to respond as Milah returned, a bag slung over one shoulder that had been fetched for her. "How long's the hike up?"

"We won't be hiking," Regina answered, eyes narrowed at the woman. She raised her hand to call the magic around them, but Rumple's voice stopped her.

"No need, dearie," he murmured and they were all pulled from the spot in a swirl of red and black smoke, his fingers flickering through the air as if there had never been a question in his mind that he could.

* * *

Baelfire had shut himself in with the Charmings upon arrival with the understanding that Hook would watch after Milah and Jack until Snow and David gave it their personal OK. Regina lingered back only a moment after the others had cleared out. "Find something?"

"It's emotion, dearie. All magic is, and I have a very deep-seeded hatred for that woman."

"What woman?"

They turned, Belle lingering at the top of the stairwell that led into the hall. She was caught somewhere between a smile and worry, bright eyes seeking out Rumple's. Their gazes met and Regina murmured something about being careful. "Hook has his uses, you know. A ship that's proven it can sail between the realms could be useful again."

"I am not unaware of that fact. I know what's at stake."

The former queen nodded, not looking entirely convinced as she turned to leave them in the quiet hallway.

Belle was standing next to him now, small and deceivingly delicate as she reached out a hand to capture his. Her fingers wrapped around his and she stood on her toes to press a quick kiss to his lips. "What woman?" she asked again with a pointed look.

She wore a look that said she expected nothing short of the whole truth. _Trust me_, it said and he tightened his grip on her hand and brought it to his lips. "Milah's alive."

Surprise flickered across her face briefly and she glanced down to both ends of the hallway, affirming their solitude. "I thought…"

He pulled in a deep breath, and closed his eyes, not wanting to see her reaction as he spoke. "That I killed her? I did. Ripped her heart out and crushed it in my hand."

"Rumple," she whispered and her free hand was against his face, guiding him so that he'd look at her. Her expression was one of worry for him, not judgement for what he'd done. "But she's alive now. Maybe she can help. Maybe you can have a chance to forgive each other."

Rumplestiltskin shook his head and chuckled. "I love you. There's not a dark thought in your mind, is there?"

"I just think you shouldn't jump to the worst possible conclusion in all this. What about Bae? He was with you. Is he excited his mother's back in his life?"

"I don't think so. She doesn't know who he is."

"What? But he was there."

"And he told her his name was Neal."

"But she's his mother. She should _know_," Belle breathed.

"Yes, well, she didn't do a lot of mothering to him when he was young."

"Why didn't he tell her?"

"Well we couldn't quite have a discussion about it with her standing there," Rumple sighed. "I don't know… I don't even know how much Bae knows. The last I told him his mother was dead. Killed by pirates. I had no idea at that time that she'd run off to be with one. The subject of my killing her didn't exactly come up in Storybrooke."

"You need to tell him."

"Oh, because _that_ would go over well," he snapped, regretting it as soon as he did. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I just… I can't lose him again."

Belle wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight and he leaned into her embrace. "I know, but you have to have faith in your son that he won't go. You have to be honest with him… Just like we should be honest with you."

"What do you mean?"

"Did Bae ask you?"

"Ask me what?"

Belle sighed. "Like father, like son. You're both so afraid of losing the other that you won't take a risk.

"What's he hiding from me? Is something wrong with him?"

"No, not with him. Baelfire's fine. He's worried about you though. He asked me to look through your old books to see what I could find out about the curse."

Rumplestiltskin pulled away from her, brows knit in irritation. "I told him I'm clear of it."

"But do you _know_? Rumple, no one is questioning your resolve, but there's a lot of different pieces to this. Your hit-and-miss connection to magic, the fact that everyone seems to think that you'll uncover a way to cross over to Emma and Henry can't be helping… No one deserves all of that pressure."

"Why wouldn't Bae come to me?"

"Because of _this_," Belle said sharply, indicating to the space he'd put between them since the conversation had turned. "You do this, Rumple. You're so afraid that people will leave you that you put wedges there that make it true." She grabbed his hand, holding on so tightly that it almost hurt. "We love you. Neither one of us are going anywhere. Have faith in us, please."

The mask cracked, slowly, and dark eyes filled with tears even as Belle wrapped her arms around him again. "I want to give him everything he wants."

"Just be honest with him. Everything else will fall into place."

* * *

The next days were a blur of motion. Milah turning up in all parts of the castle when she was continuously denied an audience due to some prior engagement that the royal couple had on their schedules. Rumpelstiltskin had decided to stay well enough out of her way. If he didn't see her, he wouldn't have to listen to her, and if he didn't have to listen to her, he wouldn't have to reach for some reason not to kill her. It seemed like a decent enough plan.

So he'd thrown himself into finding a solution to his son's most glaring problem: the fact that he was separated from Emma and Henry. Belle had shown him where she'd stored his books from the Dark Castle and between the two of them they'd searched day and well into the night.

The lantern was burning between them now, the sun long since set outside. "I spoke to Milah today," Belle said abruptly.

Rumple lowered the tome he'd been leafing through, dark eyes shifting towards her. She hadn't actually quit reading to speak, and her eyes were still scanning the page. "Why would you do a thing like that?"

"I needed to know."

"Needed to know… what exactly?"

"What she was like. I know it's silly, but… You loved her once, didn't you?"

A long silence stretched between them and a deep ache set in his chest. "Once. A very long time ago."

"Was she very different?"

"I was."

Belle's eyes found his now, the book closed and the page marked by her finger. "One of you must have been," she acknowledged. "Really, it was what she said that I wanted to talk to you about." She stopped, seeing the panic nearly wash over him. "No! Nothing like that. I've just heard rumours… About the Lands Restored. She spoke of it."

"Her pirate mentioned that the other day. It must have been something from after the curse broke."

"It is, but no one really believed it." She leaned in, almost conspiratorially though they sat in the dim room alone. "They say that there's a stretch of land by the sea that was once called the Frontlands. It was ravished some two hundred years ago or something of that number. It's been said - Captain Hook had mentioned that he heard it once or twice on his voyages - that when Regina ripped up the curse and we were brought back here that they just appeared again. Many who had been dead for centuries walked across the ground as if they hadn't missed a day."

"That's absurd. Dead is dead. Not even magic can bring back the dead."

"You're here. Milah was dead. You were certain of it. You're both alive now. Who's to say that the reversal of the curse didn't kick something into action?"

Rumplestiltskin thought on her words a moment, letting out a long breath through his nose. "I've never heard of it happening quite in that way before. Perhaps."

"Well, regardless of why it happened, I'm just happy you're here," Belle said as she leaned into him, shoulder bumping his in a playful motion. When he didn't return it with a smile or a quip, but instead looked to be thinking on something, she pursed her lips. "What?"

"Maybe…" he murmured, setting the book down and taking up his walking stick, a frown tugging at him. "I'd like to know for sure before I get Bae's hopes up. That means talking to Milah."

"Keep your temper," Belle warned.

He offered her a smile and a kiss. "I'll do my best."

"I know you will."

* * *

It wasn't hard finding her. It had been harder to avoid her the last several days. He'd spoken to Bae on it and the younger man had said that he simply wasn't ready to face that giant just yet. He'd given the name Neal to Jack Hayes out of years and years of habit, and Milah hadn't recognized him, so it just seemed… easier. Rumple hadn't said anything one way or the other, simply nodded his understanding. Bae could hide behind years of change, while he looked much like his old self. Enough that it brought a sneer to her face as he approached. She didn't fear him. In fact, he'd wager she thought she could walk over him much in the same way she'd done for the eight years she'd stayed with him after Bea was born.

"Rumplestiltskin, to what do I owe the _honour_?" she asked, sarcasm soaking every word. She was alone, standing on a balcony overlooking the ocean. She held a flask in one hand and it dangled precariously over the railing. If it wasn't empty, it was only because she'd recently found a place to refill it.

"I understand you spoke to Belle earlier," Rumple stated clearly. He missed his cane from Storybrooke. With it he could still keep the weight from his bad ankle, but his old walking stick was hardly imposing. He supposed he could make it so, if the need ever arose, but he shouldn't want to wear away at the marks he'd measured Bae's height in by using it as his tool to beat someone into the ground.

"Who's Belle?"

"Young woman, dark hair, pretty voice."

"Oh. _Her_. Right. Irritating little thing, isn't she? What about her?"

He tensed, but managed to keep his voice steady. "She mentioned something interesting this evening. Something about the Lands Restored. She said that you'd spoken of it."

"That the Frontlands were brought back from the ashes? I might have mentioned it. What is it to you, Dark One? Or… perhaps not? You do look so much like your old self it's hard to tell."

He would not let her bait him. "Are they back?"

"Why? Looking to crawl back into that little hovel we called a home once?"

"Just answer the damn question, Milah," Rumple snapped.

She laughed at him then. The sound was cruel and taunting and she moved forward so that she stood nose to nose with him, her breath confirming the amount of rum she'd consumed. "You want information from me."

"I do."

"Why?"

"My reasons are my own."

"What use could the Frontlands possibly provide to you anymore?"

His jaw clenched and he spoke through gritted teeth. "My reasons are my own."

"Fine then. Keep your reasons," she almost purred and he resisted the urge to pull back. "But I won't give you what you want for free."

"Last deal you tried to strike with me didn't end well for you."

"Then let's strike a new deal, Rumple. What you want for what I want."

"And what do you want?"

"An audience with Snow and Charming."

"Ho. Highly ambitious, aren't we?"

"I always have been. I just married beneath my ambitions."

"Did you now, dearie? If you'd waited just a few more years you might have found the adventure you were looking for."

They were close now, the tension leaping through the air like electricity. "Instead I took what I needed. Do we have a deal?"

He chuckled, voice rough with barely controlled emotions. "I can get you in to see Snow White. Tell me what you know."

She pulled back now. "The lands were just as they were when we lived there. Perhaps better. Everything grows again."

"Everything?"

Her brows drew together in question. "Rumple, what are you looking for?"

"Hope," he answered and turned on heel.

He was halfway down the corridor before she called out. "When will you set up the meet?"

Rumplestiltskin laughed, the sound echoing off the walls and he spoke lightly, in almost a sing-song fashion that he'd once used to throw many a deal his way. "I said I _could_ set it up. Never said I _would_." Then he was gone, leaving Milah to scream angrily into the empty hall.

* * *

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight.**

Snow White considered herself to be a fairly forgiving person. She tried to be, at least, and when she failed at it, it was usually because that particular individual had burned her one too many times. Even then there was a chance, a small hope, that reconciliations could be made. Look at Regina. She couldn't say that they had anything that resembled a (step)mother-daughter relationship, but they weren't trying to kill each other anymore. She certainly thought that was a step in the right direction.

She had made her acceptance of Rumplestiltskin among them very clear several days before, and she reminded herself, even as she descended the old steps, that she shouldn't jump to conclusions. Nothing was ever as it seemed with him, so the fact that one of the guards had reported that he'd been snooping down near his old cell was just another oddity. Nothing to be concerned about. Really.

That's what she'd told Charming when turned down his offer to go with her for the fifth time.

There had been many skirmishes since they had come back to the Enchanted Forest, but nothing that required a great deal of use of the dungeons. They were dimly lit and sparsely guarded. The knight that had come to her nearly shaking with news of the Dark One's whereabouts had been little more than a boy. He'd probably never even met Rumplestiltskin. Or perhaps Mr Gold had shooed him out of his store rather harshly one day.

"Not quite a place for a queen," his voice rang out, bouncing off the walls and dancing down the dark hallway. He was all the way at the end, in his old cell, crouched in an awkward way as if he were looking for something. His hand was stuffed deep into a crevice and he didn't bother to look around, though there was no question that he knew who was approaching him.

"Are you looking for something?"

"Just got a little home-sick, dearie," he said and she was certain he rolled his eyes at her. He stood then, slowly and with great care as he reached for his walking stick. "Yes, I'm looking for something."

"When we put you in there nothing was allowed in there with you. I've wondered how you got the squid ink."

Rumple chuckled. "I have my ways."

"It's gone, if that's what you're looking for. We had to use it to get out and to get home… like you said."

"I assumed as much when Miss Swan approached me about her name being written on the scroll. A bit disconcerting, I'd imagine."

Snow found herself laughing at this. "Yeah she was a little… disconcerted." She watched him a moment, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders against the damp chill in the air. He had hobbled his way to the other side now, looking into some hole in the rock that she knew hadn't been there when it was created. "I understand that you and Belle have been going through your old library to see what you could piece together to help us find Emma and Henry. Does this… have something to do with it?"

"Perhaps. Ah, there you are!" He seemed to have found whatever it was he was searching for and tugged it out carefully. Snow stepped hesitantly into the cell and when the bars didn't magically come back from their destroyed state she leaned a little closer, trying to get a clearer view. He was unwrapping the cloth in his hand, fingers careful and precise. A small gasp escaped the young queen when the shimmering little object put off more light than she would have thought possible.

"What is that?"

He stood again, giving her a clearer view and she was thankful that she felt much more as if she were speaking to Mr Gold than to the Dark One. The truth that they were one and the same was something she'd prefer not to think on too long if they'd fight for the same cause. If she tried hard enough, she could almost imagine them back in Storybrooke in his little shop, agreeing to help them once again. Their eyes met and and the smile that curled his lips in a way that she knew well and the image shattered as he said, "This, missie, is the first step to crossing the worlds."

"Is that a mermaid scale?"

"Indeed it is."

"I don't understand. If you've had this since before the curse… Why did you have to go through the curse to find Neal? Why not just use this?"

"Because a mermaid scale doesn't work separate from the fin as it does on it. It requires something that's been gone a very long time to create a portal."

Hope had been building within her, but it deflated out of her all at once. "Then what good is it now?"

The grin stretched even wider. "Haven't you heard, dearie? If the rumours are true and the Frontlands and the Lands Returned are one in the same, we might be able to get back to the Land Without Magic."

"Have you told Neal yet?"

"No, not yet. No reason to get the boy's hopes up before I'm certain. I need something from you, dearie. Call it payment for this," he said and motioned to the scale.

"Listen, whatever you're wanting me to do-"

"Oh, it's nothing you'd be opposed to. It's not like you're _killing_ anyone."

"What then?" Snow asked cautiously, not missing the gleam in his dark eyes.

"I need you to get information from Milah. Why no one from this kingdom - including Hook - seems to be able to cross into that section of land and any other useful information for a journey to it."

"Why don't you ask?"

"Milah and I don't trust each other. Makes for second guessing every motive."

"And when I get this information from her, you'll get whatever else you need to create that portal?"

"Yes, if it has been brought back."

"What is _it_, exactly?"

Rumplestiltskin looked like he were trying to measure the level of trust he wished to place in her, but finally sighed and started back towards the steps. Just as she thought he was going to ignore her entirely, his voice resonated from several steps ahead of her and she hastened to close the gap between them. "Long before the fires of war destroyed the Frontlands, before even I was born, a plant grew only in those lands. A pretty little thing, from what I understand, but small and delicate. It was said to have a very potent magic to it when crushed and ground down." They began up the stairwell and Snow watched him out of the corner of her eye. "I found it during my search for a way to cross worlds the first time. I aquired this scale while traveling down that particular learning path, only to find that the key ingredient to that particular portal was the dust from these plants."

"What makes you think they'll suddenly be back, even if the Frontlands are the place that Milah was talking about?"

He paused on the step and Snow wondered for a moment if she hadn't burst his small bubble of hope he'd been holding to. His low chuckle changed her mind though and he continued on up. "Magic, dearie. It calls out to itself. If something in Regina destroying her curse was truly powerful enough to reset entire towns that had been destroyed and restart lives that were ended centuries ago… Well, let's just say I'm willing to place a bet on the fact that it would have kickstarted an extinct magical plant as well." He turned down the opposite hall he'd knew she would be traveling and waved over his shoulder, the pouch with the scale still clutched in his hand. "Don't take your time with this, dearie. We get started when you have my information."

"Then you'll have it by sundown," she swore.

* * *

"What could he possibly want with _that_ information?"

Killian Jones sighed, stretching out on the bed with his hand folded under his head. He'd tried - back when she'd first begun the rant - to calm her down. There was no point in trying to uncover Rumplestiltskin's motives if he didn't want them uncovered, they both knew that. That had certainly been the wrong thing to say, so he'd just let her at it afterwards. Glancing towards the window, he wondered when the sun had risen.

"You know," he said at last, stretching out his leg that had finally begun to mend, "I think he's pretty focused on his goal as of now. You shouldn't worry yourself over it. He'll ignore you if you don't put yourself in his path."

Milah turned, eyes flashing. "He doesn't get away that easy." She stopped, eyeing him carefully. "What's the matter with you? Have you gone so soft? I played over scenario after scenario of what our reunion might be like when I found a way to sail out of the Lands Restored. I came looking for you, Killian, and in the past days that I've been little better than a prisoner here, waiting for the queen to so _graciously_ see to me, I've barely seen you. This is the longest stretch of time since my coming here and you act as if you want nothing better than to toss me out the door."

"That's not true."

"Is it not? I _died_ for you. And then I _searched_ for you." She knelt on the bed next to him, her fingers brushing along his jaw. She leaned in, her lips hovering over his without quite touching. "I love you, Killian. Has so much changed for you?"

The pirate tensed as she came closer. He ended the distance, leaning forward enough to begin the kiss. There was a rush and he wondered if that's what magic felt like. Her hands were tangled in his hair and he pulled her fully onto the bed, her laugh in his ear as they broke just long enough to gasp in a breath before he kissed her again. There was passion and there was excitement, like an adventure over the horizon.

"I almost thought they'd tamed you," she whispered into his ear, her hot breath sending chills down his spine.

He grinned and they were rolling across the bed again with a sharp knock came to the door. They ignored it the first time, and the second, and by the third they finally pulled apart. "What?" the pirate captain demanded, not bothering to hide the irritation from his voice.

"I'm looking as to the whereabouts of the lady captain," a guard stammered from outside the door.

"Her whereabouts are none of your concern," Milah snapped back, capturing Hook's gaze again.

"M'lady, the queen seeks an audience with you," came the response.

The pirate in question was up in an instant, straightening her corset and running a hand through her wild hair. "I'll be there shortly," she acknowledged and turned back to Killian. "We'll pick this up when I've concluded my business?"

"And what business is that?" he asked, picking himself up. "You haven't said. Surely those men didn't hop on board a ship with you to cross through whatever untold dangers just to help you find your true love."

"No, they're getting something from it." She placed another kiss to his lips and was gone, leaving him to flop back on the pillows alone, trying to figure out when Milah's return had become a complication to his life.

* * *

"I get the distinct feeling that we're pawns to him," David grumbled. "Though that could be because _everyone_ is a pawn to him."

"I don't think so," Snow breathed. "He hides behind a lot of walls, but people that have been hurt often do. I think he just wants to make his son happy. He was willing to die to do that in Storybrooke. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt in having a chat with his ex-wife. If it will get us back to Emma and Henry."

"What do you think _that_ will cost us?"

"Is there a price too high?"

"No," the young king conceded.

"And remember, not a word about Neal being Bae. That's something he has to handle on his own. We can't just step in the middle of this."

Charming chuckled. "Is that you reminding me or yourself?"

A guard announced the pirate woman and she entered. She came to a stop in the middle of the room, not bothering with any of the usual show that a king and queen might have expected to receive. Her grey eyes were sharp and her hand twitched close to the place that she had had her weapons taken from her at the door.

Snow offered her her most welcoming smile and stood. "Milah, isn't it? I'm sorry it's taken us so long to see you. I'm afraid it's quite a busy schedule to put a kingdom back together. I'm sure… I'm sure it's been good to see Captain Jones again."

"It has. Thank you."

"You told our friends when you docked that you brought a message from the Lands Restored," David prompted. "Though we've heard rumours about it, not one of our vessels have been able to find anything there."

"Likely they couldn't get through. It takes a sturdy ship indeed and no small bit of desperation to travel to and from. It can and has been done though."

"What has made you so desperate to seek us out?" Snow asked.

Milah pulled in a deep breath. "I don't know how much you know about me, but I come from what was once called the Frontlands. A couple of years ago, when time started again, it was like we woke up from a deep sleep. I've spoken to many about it and they all remember their own ends. It took some time to get our bearings, but by the time we had we realized that the good people of the Frontlands were not the only ones to have returned. The men that had once ruled over us with an iron fist had not lost any of their cruelty in death. If anything they'd gained it. We didn't have kings and queens such as you in my time, but when we heard of you I gathered men to my ship and we set out to beg your help in our suffering."

David glanced over to his wife and he could see the thoughts forming. He reached out, meaning to warn her, to slow her haste, but she took a step forward. "You say it's a dangerous journey there?"

"It is. Few cross over the borders even when they mean to."

"But if we were willing to go with you, you'd lead us to it? You'd be our guide?"

Milah blinked, as if she hadn't expected it to be quite that easy. "If you'll help us."

"Of course we'll help you. I'm only sorry we didn't speak sooner. These rulers, do you think they'll recognize our authority?"

Grey eyes flickered downward. "They'll recognize payment."

"If that's all it is, I think we can help you."

Milah looked up again. "Thank you."

"Give David and I time to pull it together and you get your ship ready to sail. Say three days?"

"That is most generous."

After she was escorted out and they were alone, David turned worried eyes on his wife. "Most generous. Snow, we're rebuilding a _kingdom_. The kind of payment that she's talking about would be enough to basically buy the land from these people."

"I know."

"Where do you plan to get this?"

"From Rumplestiltskin."

* * *

The wheel creaked with every turn, the sound soothing his jumbled thoughts. He could only assume that Belle had mentioned it to the queen that he'd been spinning since they'd brought Milah back. He'd explained to her, though he'd hardly had to, that it gave him focus on something other than the burning hatred he still carried for her. It had helped to put her in her place the night before, he had to admit, but once the giddiness of it had worn off he was left with the same nagging feeling that he'd felt as they approached the pirates on the beach. Dread. Something was going to go terribly wrong and he hadn't quite seen it yet. In this state, he might not until it was too late.

Snow White's request for gold had been a simple one. He was slowly focusing his emotions to his power, gaining bits of his old abilities back. This had always been the simplest of them to him. A bit like breathing.

Three days. That was the time table that the queen had given him. She and her princely husband had discussed it and they'd bring a close group together that would also be able to defend themselves if the need arose. They'd take Robin with them, as he was heading that way anyway and Regina had been quick to offer her services. Hook was an obvious choice to corral Milah if she became stubborn at Rumplestiltskin's presence on the journey. Add to the mix Belle and Bae and they had their team.

"Team?" Rumple had asked with a raised an eyebrow.

Snow had grinned. "You need a team for an operation, and this is all to bring Henry and Emma home. He'll be very upset with us all if we don't come up with a good name for it."

Even now, as the straw spun through the wheel and out the other side in long, gold strands, Rumplestiltskin couldn't hide the fond smile at the idea. Henry would have been very cross indeed. He'd thanked her and told her he'd have enough ready by the time they left. It was well within his current limitations, even if spelling them halfway across the lands and through magical barriers wasn't.

The door opened and he glanced up to see Bae entering. His son looked at the wheel and the long golden rope coming from the other side and then to Rumple. "Mary Margaret filled me in. You really think this plant'll be there?"

"More certain of it with each moment."

"I see you… ah… got control of this, at least. You think you've evened everything out then?"

The wheel stopped and Rumple looked up. He pursed his lips together, pulled in a breath as if he'd speak, stopped, and repeated the action before the words actually left his tongue. "We need to talk."

"That doesn't sound good," Bae answered as he took a seat on the bed a few feet away. "What is it, Papa?"

Another deep breath. In. Out. Repeat. "You know I'd do anything for you, Bae, and I know… I know finding a way to Henry and Emma is something you need."

The younger man leaned forward, the knot that had begun to form in the pit of his stomach when his father had begun to speak was only growing.

Rumple motioned for him to stay put as he hobbled his way over to a small chest by the bed. Bae knew he kept the dagger in there, safe and clear of prying eyes. "Belle's right. I need to start trusting both of you. Trusting you both not to run at the first sight of anything." His voice was trembling slightly as he spoke and as he pulled the wrapping away from the blade, Bae's eyes widened. It was held up for his inspection, as if he couldn't quite put it into words at that moment.

Baelfire stood, reaching a trembling finger to touch the blade. The lines were soft, not deeply etched as they had been when he was a boy, but it wasn't smooth either, like it had been when his father had been pulled from the ocean and brought in by Hook. Thin and frail, like the curse was just barely hanging on, _Rumplestiltskin_ was written into the metal. "Papa…?"

Stress was worked deep into the lines on Rumple's face and his lips thinned out and turned downward in a frown. "I'm going to help you get your boy, Bae. I swear it, but to do that I have to have power."

"That power destroyed you before," Baelfire whispered.

"I know, but I need you to trust me, son. Just as I'm now trusting you." He pushed the blade forward and handed it hilt-first. Bae's hand wrapped around it and he gave his father a questioning look. "Whoever holds this dagger controls the Dark One."

"I don't want to _control_ you, Papa."

"I know, but I need you help. I need you to remind me… If I fail, if I falter, I need you to remind me who I need to be for you. Will you do this for me?"

Bae sucked in a deep breath. "Yeah. Of course."

The frown tilted upward again and some of the lines eased. "Thank you, Bae. One more thing, before I get back to making good on our queen's offer for her." He took his son's hands between his own, and Bae's around the dagger and closed his eyes. No words were spoken. He'd rarely needed them to work his magic. It glowed slightly and Baelfire felt like a blanket had been pulled down around his shoulders. He'd never known anything his father to have cast before to feel so warm. So safe.

_Do you feel safe, son?_

"I wouldn't put it past any enemy to find that you have it and try to hurt you for it," Rumplestiltskin murmured. "They can't take it from you now. No one can. Only you may give it."

"Even to you?"

"Even to me."

Baelfire reached over to where the wrappings lay and returned them around the sharp edges before tucking it away in the folds of his clothing. Once he'd done that, he wrapped his arms around his father's neck and buried his face in his shoulder. The sudden movement caught Rumple so unawares that he stumbled, but his son's hold on him kept him on his feet. "Love you, Papa," Bae whispered.

"I love you too, son. I love you too."

* * *

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine.**

There was no denying that Belle had proved herself useful since their return to the Enchanted Forest. If she'd ever wanted a chance to be a hero, it'd been handed to her and she'd lived up to the dream with great enthusiasm. Moments like these - the ones where she found herself with a small bag of provisions over one shoulder, her pretty dresses put away for more practical pants and boots, and climbing the ramp to the boat that would take her on a journey that just might allow them to take the next step to get Emma and Henry back - were the ones that made all the long and seemingly pointless council meetings worth it. It was all she could do to contain her excitement.

"Well, you wanted to see the world."

Her lips stretched in a wide smile and she whirled around, finding familiar brown eyes staring back at her. "I did say that, didn't I?"

"You did," Rumplestiltskin answered, moving past her slowly. "And you also said you wanted to be a hero. Not that you haven't been already."

"It's exciting," she confessed, following after him. "Nothing is ever how you expect it to be."

"If there's one truth it's that." He paused, glancing behind them at the irate pirate captain that was currently stalking up to ramp, grey eyes fixed on him. "Ho, looks like I'm already in trouble and we haven't even left the dock."

"Get off my ship," Milah growled and the movement around the deck stopped, the only sounds limited to the waves, the gulls, and Rumple's low chuckle at her words.

"Oh? Did no one tell you, dearie? I'm along on this little venture."

"My ship. My rules. Get off of it."

Belle looked between them, noting the condescending smile that Rumple wore and the way it made Milah seeth. "Well then," he drawled, "I suppose there's little point in going at all if you don't have the money you came here for."

That stopped her. "What do you mean?"

"My gold. My rules. Either I'm coming along or it's not."

"_You_ provided it?"

"Indeed. You might have heard of this fantastic little trick of mine. A specialty, really. I can spin straw into gold. Guess you haven't gotten out much in the past few centuries."

"And we both know who to thank for that."

"Everything okay over here?"

Belle let out a breath she didn't realize that she'd been holding. Baelfire stood with his sheathed sword dangling off one shoulder and a bag in the opposite hand. His dark eyes looked from his father to his unknowing mother and he raised an eyebrow in question.

"Just dandy," Rumple answered. "The captain here just wanted to get a few things straight. Got them now, dearie?"

"There's a few more things I think _you've_ missed," she bit back.

"Everyone's on board and the king and queen are ready to set sail when you are, Captain."

"Neal, wasn't it?"

"It is."

"Well, Neal, what do you do? You don't strike me as a warrior."

"I can hold my own in a pinch," he answered, never faltering. "Now, if you're ready?"

Milah didn't answer him directly but started barking orders to get moving. The crew did as commanded and the eight new passengers were shown where to put their things. Belle did as told but returned to the top deck as quickly as she could manage, finding a place at the railing that was out of the way but allowed her a view of the retreating land and the ocean below them.

If all went to plan they'd only be out to see for three days, shaving off quite a bit of time that it would have taken to travel by foot. They'd leave most of the crew with the ship and travel across the lands then, slipping through a passage Millah knew in the mountains that allowed them access through to the Frontlands. It would take them close to the Dark Castle, where Robin's men were at, but he'd agreed very eagerly to stay on with them until they came back. If Belle didn't know better, she would have said those quick glances in Regina's direction had something to do with it.

Her gaze turned to the deck where men moved about, each doing their job with dedication. Rumple was still below deck, holding little interest in the open seas if he could avoid it. When she'd asked him if he wanted to come up he'd laughed and said that he'd prefer not to give Milah a chance to toss him overboard. So he'd remained downstairs, speaking in low tones with Bae as she'd made her way up.

Milah herself was standing on deck, not far from where Belle observed. Bright blue eyes lingered on the woman that had once been married to her Rumplestiltskin. It was difficult to believe that two people could grow so apart if they'd loved each other, but from what Rumple had told her - not just since Milah had come back, but very small bits over time that she'd patiently wheedled out of him - he didn't believe she'd ever really loved him. "We were very young," he'd said once. "Young and foolish, but if Bae is the only good to come of it, that's most certainly enough. Baelfire, and a few hard-learned lessons."

The lady captain was speaking to one of her men now, her gloved fingers undoing a parchment that he'd handed her. As her eyes scanned the words she looked less than pleased, waving him off after a moment before crumbling it to shreds. Sharp, grey eyes darted over then, feeling Belle's own on her and the younger woman could feel the blush take hold. She offered what she hoped was a friendly smile that was not returned.

"You're that girl," Milah said, her voice hard and cold. She'd crossed the distance between she and Belle now, but stood with her feet firmly planted and her arms crossed over her chest. The weapons were all in place, visible and with every promise linger in the air that she both could and would use them if given half the chance.

Belle snorted a laugh at the blatant hostility. "I am a woman, yes, but if I am _that_ woman depends on the person you are referring to."

"Girl. I said girl," the captain answered, looking her over. "Rumple mentioned you."

She couldn't stop the smile then. "Did he?"

"He did. You're the bookkeeper, or something to that extent, aren't you?"

"A bit more than that."

"Doubtful. With the lot the king and queen have provided we'll be lucky to make it back to my lands."

Belle tried not to bristle too bad. "You really shouldn't judge someone before you get to know them. I've managed to make myself very useful over the past few months. I'm not new to this."

"Could have fooled me."

Belle sucked in a deep breath as the other woman turned on heel, ready to make demands of her crew. "What happened to you to make you so bitter?"

She didn't miss the glint in those grey eyes. "My _life_ happened. You're fond of him, aren't you? Of Rumple. Just keep in mind, every time you put your faith in him, he will fail you. He will run when it gets too hard and if you're too close to him, well, then he'll destroy you too. That's really his only talent in life. Destruction."

"You don't know him like I do. There's more good in him than most people see."

"No, darling girl, you don't know him like_ I_ do."

* * *

Two days into the journey the storm hit. It reminded those that had been a part of it on the trip to Neverland of those winds, whipping about them in all directions and threatening to overturn the ship. There were no mermaids this time, only waves, though they reached up and clawed at the deck through the railing, refusing to be put off by the way it was lifted into the air and spun off course. Milah had demanded that anyone not part of her crew stay beneath deck, allowing only Hook above with her as he had experience with rough tides.

They were all together below deck in a single room, Robin once again urging Regina to stay down until it was over. She couldn't control the weather, even he knew that much about magic. She'd been about ready to tell him that the impossible seemed to happen often enough around them as a whole when there was a sharp jolt, throwing them all from their feet.

And then quiet.

Against the quiet was a soft sound of creaking and a terrible feeling of teetering forwards and backwards, but not in the way that the waves had sent them.

"We've hit something," Bae murmured.

"What, like run ashore?" Snow asked.

"No, more like run against a rock off the shore."

The door to the room opened and Hook filled in, looking none too pleased. One exchanged expression between he and Baelfire told all that the younger man had been right and nothing good was coming from it. "Milah wants us off now. She says we can start on foot."

"She does realize that's going to put us straight through some of the most Ogre infested country out here, doesn't she?" Robin asked, already halfway up the stairs.

"Afraid, outlaw?" Milah's voice chirped from above. "I would have thought to hear complaints from others in this little party before yours."

"Maybe you haven't heard, but these things aren't your run-of-the-mill Ogres that trampled a few villages. Sorcerers are controlling them," Regina snapped.

"Good thing we have two of our own along then. Aren't you supposed to be one of them?"

The deck was in motion as they came up, each carrying one small bag with them and a weapon if they had it. Quick orders were given and the young king and queen looked a bit startled by the abruptness of them. They weren't directly from Milah, who had taken herself to the side with Jack Hayes and seemed to be in quite a spirited argument with him.

"What do you know about him?"

"Hayes?" Hook asked, glancing to where Rumpelstiltskin had all but materialized next to him. For a man that limped along with a cane, he made very little noise.

"Yeah."

"Not much to know, as far as I can tell. Her first mate. Apparently nothing.. romantic between them. Am I really having this conversation with _you_ of all people?"

Rumple rolled his eyes, impatient. "I'm putting it all well enough aside. I'd suggest you do as well. You know her. You know how she acts."

Hook, to his credit, read between the lines and turned his gaze on the way that Milah was arguing with the mountain of a man. There was nothing friendly between them as the sound of the storm and crashing waves covered their voices, and if he didn't know better, he'd say that she was nearing hostile with him.

"See?"

The pirate captain snorted. "Listen, mate, I know you've got reason enough not to put a whole lot of trust in Milah, but she's not here to lead us astray."

"I never said she was. If you remember, it's him I was asking about. Good to know where _your_ questions lie though, dearie."

And he was gone and Hook cursed his name rather loudly. He didn't see him again until they were piling into the two small boats that would take them to shore.

* * *

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten.**

There was no stopping when they came to shore. A brief explanation from the lady captain that her crew would meet them there after making the repairs needed to the ship and an overall reminder that the woods were crawling with all sorts of unfriendlies and they were traipsing through the thick brush. The storm had turned much of the already soft dirt to mud, making it even more difficult to move through.

"Are you alright?" Belle's soft voice reached his ears and Rumplestiltskin risked a glance at her. She sopping wet like the rest of them, her hair drenched and her boots covered in mud up to their tops in places. She and Bae were the only ones that had slowed their travel when they realized he'd fallen behind and why.

Even when he'd been deeply immersed in the Dark One's curse he had never been able to fully heal his ankle. It wasn't that he hadn't studied healing techniques. In fact, he's studied all forms of magic at some point or the other in his search for a way to rip open a portal that would take him to his Baelfire, but old injuries were an entirely different beast. They were set. Oh, a talented wizard could throw a bit of glamour over a scar that he wanted to hide and Rumple had done that to turn his foot in as it should have been and mask the pain that putting too much pressure on it brought. To do so had consequences, of course, as all magic did, but that consequence was an even deeper pain when the spell was lifted. The Dark One had what might as well have been an endless source of power. There was no end to the spell.

He could still cast it. He knew he had it in him, but to do so would pull from what he'd found to be a limited power source without drawing from the knife. Without giving in entirely. That meant the spell would end and he'd be in worse shape than he was now.

Bae made a sound that might have the beginning of calling out for him as he took one faulty step forward and fell into the mud as his bad ankle gave way under him. He was next to his father then, having caught himself before Milah heard anything, and knelt down in the mud with him. "Hey, take it easy."

"I'm fine," Rumple snapped, grimacing even as he did so.

"Yeah, you look great," his son answered sarcastically, giving the elder man no room to argue.

"I'm not slowing this trek down just because he can't keep up," Milah warned.

Father's and son's dark eyes met and Rumple nodded, allowing Bae to help lift him out of the mud. With a flick of his finger, magic extended itself around his ankle like a brace, making it easier to walk on. He could hear the argument from the two people that knew what it would do in the end and the words hung just shy of being spoken, cut off as Milah started forward again.

* * *

They reached a small village not long after sundown. It was the last one before they made it to the barriers that kept most from the Lands Restored. The people were wary of strangers, but they had a small inn with beds far more comfortable than the forest floor with Ogres and other enemies stalking about and ready payment kept them from asking too many questions.

The rooms were cramped, the walls thin, and if they had been expecting Granny's cooking they were sorely disappointed. It allowed for just enough privacy that Snow was able to approach the subject that had been eating at her since long before they'd left. She barely knocked as she'd thrown open the door to the room, startling Bae and earning a tired glare from his father sitting next to him on the old, rickety bed. Charming followed behind her and apparently was losing the argument to keep it from happening. She was a great leader, but if Snow thought something should happen she had a habit of becoming tunnel visioned.

The young queen motioned for David to close the door behind them and he mouthed _Sorry_ in Bae's direction.

"I'm sorry, but I just hold it in any longer. I know I don't know the full story, but Neal, that is your _mother_ out there. She _deserves_ to know."

Rumplestiltskin snorted from his place, receiving a glare. "He gave you a chance," Snow reminded him.

"Oh, I'm staying out of it," Rumple vowed. "Bae's a grown man. What he tells or doesn't tell Milah is entirely up to him."

"I'm sure you're _staying out of it_." She turned hazel eyes on the young man in question. "There is no greater pain than to be separated from your child. She has a right to know."

"And I have a right to keep it," Bae answered, keeping his voice even as he stood. "I appreciate it, Mary Margaret, but you don't know the story here. She left when I was eight, and she wasn't much of a mother before that. It was always Papa and me, even before she ran off with Hook." He shook his head, frustration at being cornered in the situation evident.

"You were able to forgive your father, maybe-"

"At least he came _looking_ for me," Bae snapped, finally sinking back to the bed where Rumplestiltskin seemed intent on focusing on anything other than the conversation at hand. The younger man sighed. "I know you're trying to help, but right now... I don't have it in me. Let's get Emma and Henry back, and _maybe_ I'll have it in me to try to forgive her."

Snow looked like she'd been struck. "I'm sorry," she whispered after a long moment of silence. "You're right. I really don't know it all, do I?"

"You really don't."

"We're all pulled a little thin right now," David offered. "Our best bet is to try to keep the peace until we reach our destination. Rumplestiltskin, you two going to be able to make it there without taking each other's heads off?"

"I know what's at stake here."

"Would you... tell us if you thought she was being less than truthful in this?"

A smirk tilted the corners of his lips upward. "Oh, I guarantee she's being less than truthful. To what point is what I haven't quite worked out."

* * *

Milah had slipped out of the inn as soon as she was certain she wouldn't be missed. It was suffocating, and if she'd thought Killian would be any support on the emotional front she'd been mistaken. She wasn't sure where his heart was, but she knew it wasn't with her.

A sigh escaped as she leaned against a tree and pulled the parchment that she'd received on the ship just after they'd set out. She couldn't make out the words well by the moonlight, but she'd read it enough to know what was written there.

"It'd do good to get it off your shoulders."

Milah jumped, eyes wide in the dark. "Damn it, Rumple," she growled out and he chuckled at her. "What the hell do you want?"

"I'm wondering the same thing about you, dearie," he answered, finally appearing out of the darkness. He hadn't risked lifting the spell on his ankle yet, so each step was steady.

"You know what I want," Milah answered him, looking around to see if he was the only one that had followed her.

"I hope I do, because if I were to find out that there are ulterior motives-"

She rolled her eyes. "Really? You're going to lecture me on ulterior motives? I know you're not along for the health of the king and queen. What are you doing with them anyway? Doesn't really seem your style."

"I don't think you really know me well enough anymore to comment on alliances I should or shouldn't have. What they know is really none of your concern."

"Still searching then."

He sighed. "Searching for what?"

"Bae."

Their son's name leaving her lips stirred an old anger in him. He pushed it down, reminding himself that she was taking them to the restored Frontlands. She was taking him to a place where he could gather the ingredient needed to take Bae to Emma and Henry. She was useful. The calm was forced, but it flickered into being.

"You didn't think I knew, did you?" she asked, causing him to blink eyes open he didn't realize he'd closed. "You didn't think I knew that you betrayed our son. That you were too cowardly to save him?"

A harsh laugh bubbled from his throat. "Watch your words, dearie. You left us. You left him."

"So did you. Drove him away from what I hear." She was shaking now, ready to explode at him at any given second.

Rumple waved her off. "This conversation's over."

"No, you don't get to run from this."

"Run from _what_, Milah? The fact that you walked out on us when Bae was eight? Or perhaps the part where you staged your own kidnapping to make sure neither of us followed you? Either of those ring a bell? Perhaps you're referring to-"

"Our son is _dead_, Rumple, and if that's my fault, it's because I left him with _you_!" Her voice echoed through the thick trees, winding in and around the trunks and branches. It'd made its way back towards the little town that they now stood outside of and it left him silent, holding onto the image of a young man he'd left sitting and talking with Belle. Bae had forgiven him for his many, many wrongs and he would not betray his boy's trust in him by dangling out the knowledge in front of her just for the petty satisfaction of showing her she was wrong.

If she had planned to say more, the words were cut off by rustling somewhere through the trees. Both Rumplestiltskin and Milah froze, straining their ears for anything to give away what had made the sound and its location. Their eyes met in the dark and they were both poised and ready for the threat that was sure to come.

A sound to their right caused Milah to pull her gun and Rumple to raise a ball of fire. Bae held up his hands. "Woh. On your side. I just came to make sure you two hadn't killed each other yet."

The fire immediately went out and Rumplestiltskin let out a deep breath. "Neal," he murmured after a moment, making sure the correct name left his lips.

"Everything okay?" Bae looked over to Milah with this, eyeing the gun still clutched in her hand.

She slowly lowered it, glare set like a permanent expression. "Fine."

Bae looked between them both. "Lucky you didn't bring a whole group of Ogres with the yelling." His eyes went wide as an arrow buried itself into a tree just to his left. "Or snipers. Those are bad too."

Arrows flew down from the tree tops, sending the three of them ducking for cover as they hit close to where they'd been standing. Rumplestiltskin glanced up into the branches, seeing the feet of one and he let loose a find mist that his son recognized from Neverland. Three archers fell from the trees, and as quickly as it had started it appeared to be done.

Bae came up from his crouched position. "Are they dead?"

"Not yet. They'd be useless to us dead. Can't question a dead man." The wizard crouched down next to one of the unconscious men, fingers ghosting over an insignia on his dark green clothing that he didn't recognize. It was a rarity that a kingdom, no matter how small, might slip past his attention. He had been sure that he knew each and every one.

"I've studied Belle's books of the kingdoms that have cropped up since I left and I don't recognize that," Bae murmured as he joined his father.

"They're probably just robbers out to steal any money they can find," Milah said shortly from her place.

"No, there too well equipped to be any robbers, and Robin's men don't steal anymore. No reason to with the Sheriff of Nottingham put out of play."

"Is he?" Rumple asked with a grin that made his son uncomfortable. "Permanently?"

"King Richard returned and sided with David and Mary Margaret. I think the sheriff ended up in the king's dungeon at the end of it. History?"

"A bit."

"I don't even want to know," Bae grumbled as he stood straight. "Let's-"

It was like time stood still as the arrow hit and Baelfire stumbled back a couple of steps. Any sounds that the forest made around them - or even Milah's gun going off and taking down the last archer that had given away his place with his well aimed shot - seemed far away as father's and son's eyes met, Rumple stumbling to his feet. "No," he managed, but hadn't even taken a step forward as the arrow began to dissolve, falling away like dust and Bae felt the same warmth surround him that he'd felt when his father had cast the protection spell to keep him safe as he held his dagger.

A shuddering laugh left him as his hands went to place where only a bit of blood on on his ripped shirt showed any signs of injury. "What'd you do?" he whispered in awe. He looked up when Rumplestiltskin didn't answer and his breath left him again. His father remained rooted in spot, blood slowly soaking through his tunic. No arrow had hit him, but the injury looked to be a mirror of Bae's.

_All magic comes with a price._

"Papa?" Two pairs of eyes, identical in colour, met and Rumple's knees gave out. His son caught him before he hit, easing him down to the muddy ground. "What'd you do?"

A pained laugh escaped the Dark One and he reached a trembling hand for his son's. "Had to protect you, Bae."

Baelfire took hold of the hand and and rested his forehead against it. He could feel the tears building along with the immense pressure in his own chest. "Couldn't you have found another way?"

"My power's a bit… limited right now."

"Baelfire?" Milah's voice sounded from behind him.

He could feel her uncertainty, the questions building in her mind and hanging on the tip of her tongue. Slowly he straightened, his father held carefully in his lap and when he took in how blurry his gaze had become, he made his decision. He turned a determined look back on her. "If you _ever_ gave a damn about me, even once, you'll help me save him now."

* * *

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven.**

"I can't believe you actually tried to have that conversation with him!" Regina grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers like it would do anything to stop the migraine that was quickly making her skull its new abode. "No, wait, I can, because it's _you_."

Snow huffed, offended. "Well it's more than you're doing for him. He-"

"Does not need you to be his mother. Neal is a grown man. It's his choice to patch up relationships as he chooses."

"But he-"

"No. Stop. Do yourself a favour and stop. Better yet, do all of us a favour and stop. Did you really drag Charming in there with you? I can't believe I feel sorry for that man. Even he'd know better."

"Neal's confused. His mother just shows back up in his life after he hasn't seen her since he was little… I can't imagine that Gold's ever had anything nice to say about her. How could he have fond memories if he's-" She stopped, blinking almost owlishly at Regina. "I _am_ acting like his mother."

"Yeah… You are."

Snow turned, one hand pressed against her lips even as she spoke again. "Have I been doing this for long?"

"Pretty much since we all came back."

"Why didn't you say something?"

This question caught the former Evil Queen off guard, mostly because she knew it was asked in earnest. Snow had that doe-eyed expression that she wore whenever she was truly distraught over something she could just shoot an arrow at. Regina sighed. "Because I'm not your mother. I never have been."

"I'm sorry. You must miss Henry as much as I miss Emma and here I am…" She stopped, a sigh escaping her.

"We'll get them back."

Hazel eyes met brown. "Are you sure?"

"You are, and if there's something I've learned over our many years of going at each other, it's that if you're really sure on something, it's going to happen."

Snow felt a smile tip her lips up, but the sound of door of the room next to them being thrown open and Belle's muffled cry caught their attention. They were in the next room in a heartbeat. Milah stood back, face ashen and Belle was just a few feet away with horror in her eyes. Bae was bent over the bed and as they drew closer they could see Rumplestiltskin there, all colour drained from his face and blood soaking his front.

"What the hell happened?" Regina demanded.

"Before we left Papa cast a spell on me. I don't know what it was. I'm holding his dagger, so he said it'd keep me safe from anyone trying to take it. He didn't say that any injury'd be reversed on _him_."

The dark haired woman moved forward, taking a look at her former teacher. His breathing was shallow and his eyes were closed tightly against the pain. She couldn't tell if he were awake or not, but unconsciousness seemed kinder. "Normally he would have directed it somewhere else," she agreed as she pulled back the material of the injured man's shirt, grimacing as she did.

"Can you heal it, Regina?" Belle asked, voice steadier than it should have been.

The former queen shook her head. "My skills are very limited when it comes to healing. This… isn't good."

"What about his own powers?" Snow offered. "Will they kick in to heal him?"

"We better hope so or we've just lost the man with the deepest understanding of realm jumping that may exist. Again."

* * *

The only way they'd made it up the stairs with him without the innkeepers noticing was the late hour. Baelfire was pacing the room now, Belle sitting at his father's side with a rag and some warm water that they'd scrounged up without alerting anyone to the fact that they'd been attacked. That would be the quickest way to get thrown out in a little, frightened village such as this.

He could still feel the pain from the arrow, though it was only a ghost of a memory. It was enough for him to know that Rumplestiltskin, should he decide to come around back to a conscious state, would be in quite a bit of pain. His ribs still ached where the magic had knitted the bones back together, the arrow having worked its way between them.

"His breathing's so unsteady that I'm worried it nicked his lung," Belle said quietly, gaining his attention.

"His magic will kick back in. It always does."

She offered him a smile and finished wrapping the wound carefully, putting just enough pressure to it to help slow the blood. Her touch was soft as she smoothed back damp hair and kissed his forehead, whispering promises of love before she stood and turned to wash the blood from her hands. Rumple's blood. "How are you doing?" she asked after a stretch of silence.

"Me? I'm fine. His spell healed me completely."

"I know. That's not what I meant. Milah knows, doesn't she?"

"Didn't really think to hide it when he went down," Bae said quietly, taking a seat on his papa's other side. "Didn't we just do this, Belle? When's it going to get better?" This was supposed to be a world with Happy Endings, but every time something good happened, it was like fate had a particularly nasty habit of ripping it away from them. As if it were taunting them.

She could feel his heart breaking from the other side of the bed and she could only imagine what was going through his mind. His love and his son, trapped without any memories of the time they'd spent together, perhaps without any memories of him at all, his father injured after quite literally taking the blow to himself that was meant for his son. "I don't know, Bae," she murmured at last. "Soon, I hope. It will get better soon."

"Sit with him a bit? I need to go find out what our next move is. With the group we have here, someone's bound to have an idea."

"I'll call if anything changes," she promised. He was gone then, leaving her in the quiet room with only Rumplestiltskin's hitched breathing for company. She felt like her soul was shattering, and without Bae in there to be strong for, she worried that the rest of her might follow shortly. "You have to hold on," she pled quietly, tears building and she took hold of his hand. "Please hold on for me. After everything… it's just not _fair_ if you go like this."

It wasn't a curse he was under, she knew, but she could help to blip of hope that her heart held onto as she leaned over, her lips pressing down against his. She wanted to say that his breathing eased a bit, at least, and he gave a small moan and squeezed her hand that clung to his. "I love you, Rumplestiltskin. Don't you dare leave me."

* * *

They were gathered in the small landing at the top of the stairs, not that was conspicuous at all. Baelfire decided not to point it out, but trudged his way up to them, all eyes immediately on him and he raised his hands. "No change," he said.

"He's been wasting magic all day on that damn spell for his ankle," Regina grumbled.

"We can't change the decisions that were made to deal with the issues at the time, only what we do from here on out," David said. "Snow? You want to tell him your idea?"

"He's never going to go for it. He _hates_ her."

Snow shot her stepmother a glare. "Neal, I know that your father and Blue don't… see eye-to-eye on most things-"

"Anything," Regina cut in.

"- but she might be able to help. If anyone could - anyone that can be reached - it's her."

"Her magic doesn't mix well with his," Bae found himself saying, and the words sounded frighteningly familiar. The last time he'd sought the Blue Fairy's help with his father, he'd lost him for three centuries.

"He's not necessarily the Dark One anymore," Hook, almost forgotten in the corner with his flask of rum, murmured quietly. When he realized he'd been heard the corner of his mouth twitched up and he covered the thought with a quip. "Less scaley."

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but he has a point," Snow murmured. "We can call her and she'll know if she can help or not."

Bae shifted his weight from one foot to the other, looking between everyone. At this late hour, they'd all stirred and he wondered when Rumplestiltskin had become someone that they would go out of their way to keep alive. He wondered when he and Belle had only become two people that cared for him, not the only two. "Let's give it a shot," he said at last. "But I want to talk to her before she tries anything."

"She won't hurt him, Neal," Snow promised with an encouraging smile.

He wanted to agree, but he'd also been around Blue long enough since his father's "death" to hear a few of her own thoughts about the Dark One.

* * *

Belle didn't like the idea any more than Bae did. She stood protectively by Rumple's side as the Blue Fairy - in full human form - stepped around the bed. Blue's dark brows knit closely together as she took in the injury and the uncomfortable sleep that the Dark One still had not roused from. Her lips tugged downward and her fingers danced over the bandages, never quite touching them. "This is a powerful spell he cast. I hardly believe that he let it rebound on him instead of some poor, unsuspecting soul."

"He's not a monster, you know," Belle snapped.

"There are many who would beg to differ with you, my dear."

"Can you help him or not?" Bae's quiet voice came from behind her and she seemed to tense at it.

Blue turned, taking in the boy she'd once supposedly helped. "I can try. It's possible I can work the healing slowly enough that it won't damage him further. It's strange… His presence is not as dark as it once was. Perhaps this might work."

All eyes were on her as the Blue Fairy put a light hand down against Rumplestiltskin's injured side. He grimaced in his sleep, but seemed to make no further motion as her hand began to glow and her magic work. Hope wove through the small crowd and Snow grinned broadly. _Told you_, her eyes seemed to say.

"You're hurting him," Belle whispered, and she was the first to notice. His grimace had deepened and even as she gave her warning a moan left his throat and he tried to squirm away from the offensive touch. "Stop it, Blue. You're hurting him!"

The fairy pulled away, holding her own hand as if it'd been burned. "This won't work," she whispered. "His magic is still too dark."

"There has to be a way," Bae murmured. "We can't just let him die."

"We'll keep thinking," Snow promised and it was David that ushered everyone out and into the hall, leaving Baelfire and Belle alone with the still-wincing fairy and the unconscious Dark One.

"If he'd just let it play out, you could have healed me," Bae said softly, taking his father's hand.

"You wouldn't have made it this long," Blue answered. "The damage the arrow did was… extensive. His magic is keeping him alive, but it's all it can do to keep up from what I can see. If he'd let it play out, as you say, you would have died before they ever got you back to this inn."

Baelfire's mind spun at the realization and it focused on it. "But not here. You're here, right now. You could heal me. He could reverse the spell and you could heal me instead."

Belle sighed, her tone one that she might have used to coax a child into understanding. It held all the exhaustion that she felt. "Bae, he took it for a reason. He's not going to just give it back."

"Yes he will." He hadn't let his father's dagger off his person since he'd been entrusted with it. He pulled it from the folds of his clothing and Belle's eyes immediately doubled in size.

"Bae! You can't!"

"I'm not losing my father again." He turned to turned to the Blue Fairy. "Fair warning, if he's alive and fine and I bleed out because you couldn't save me… He's going to be pissed."

"Noted," Blue answered uncomfortably.

"Right." He gripped the blade in one hand, but the other smoothed back grey streaked hair and his voice was gentle as he spoke. "Papa? Wake up, would you?"

There was no need for the dramatic summoning, Bae knew that. It was flourish. His father loved a bit of drama, a bit of theatre in his experiences, but Baelfire had no time for it. He had no want for it.

Dark eyes slid open and came to focus on him. "Bae," Rumplestiltskin rasped and he reached a shaky hand up for his son's. A smile pulled his lips, genuine, and Baelfire did his best to return it.

"I love you, Papa. Don't be mad at me, okay?"

Rumple grimaced as he dragged a wheezing breath down his throat. "Love you too, son. Could never be mad at you."

"Want to bet? When I was a kid I used to think of what would happen if I just took your dagger. If I had control of it, would you do terrible things? I remember I dreamt about it one night and it terrified me. I know why now. I'm more selfish than I'd like to think. I gave you so much hell for using the dark powers, but I'm just as eager to use them if it'll save you."

"Bae…?" A sort of understanding seemed to cross Rumple's face and his eyes widened. "No, son, please-"

"I hold it now, and I'm commanding you. Reverse the spell, Pop."

* * *

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve.**

He was begging. It had been a long, _long_ time since he had begged for anything, but he could hear his own voice echoing in his own ears, pleading with his son to stop even as he felt his magic rebel against him. Rumplestiltskin felt the dagger's pull on his soul and the protection spell he had cast was reversing. He thought he might be screaming now, but he could hardly pull in enough air to allow for that. It was a whirl, to the point that he hardly knew what was real and what wasn't, and somewhere deep in his mind a teenage Baelfire was slipping through a portal and he was left to claw at the dirt left behind.

And then it stopped and he could breathe again. The realization that he was no longer struggling to pull each breath of air in hit him and focused him, dark eyes blinking. His son was standing over him and for the briefest of moments, he thought everything would be alright. "Bae," he managed, his throat raw and voice scratchy. Perhaps he had been screaming after all.

"Don't forget your promise," Bae whispered and he fell.

Rumplestiltskin watched it happen and lay frozen on the bed, eyes wide as his boy's knees buckled beneath him and he collapsed back against the wall. Blue was at his side instantly, magic buzzing around her.

"Bae!" Rumple called out and felt Belle's steady arms wrap around him, holding him back as he tried to leap from the bed.

"She's his hope now," Belle whispered in his ear, her voice soothing. "He'll be okay. You have to believe it, Rumple. I promise that Baelfire will be okay."

He was shaking, the panic taking hold and leaving him with the feeling of falling though he knew he was firmly planted on the old, straw-packed mattress. His eyes were trained on the Blue Fairy as she worked her magic, her spell wrapping around his son and mending the wound that had re-opened where his own spell had closed it just hours before. Belle's grip on him seemed to be the only thing holding him together, the only thing that kept him from ripping everything to pieces in a fit of uncontrolled rage. It bubbled within him, wrapping around his being, but she was steady. She was his strength against it.

So he sat there, staring in horror as his son bled on the floor. He could feel Belle's face buried in the crook of his neck from behind, her tears soaking his tattered shirt.

Finally, Blue let out a shaky breath and she looked back at them. "He needs rest, but I was able to close it up and heal it. Baelfire will be alright, Rumplestiltskin."

At the sound of his name he pulled forward with such strength that Belle couldn't hold on. Before anyone in the room knew it he had the fairy pinned against the wall, fury rolling off of him in waves, almost tangible in the air. "You could have _killed_ him!"

Blue's eyes were wide and not just a little frightened as they met a pair that tinged closer to gold than their usual brown. "I.. saved.. him," she managed to gasp out, even as he tightened his grip.

He didn't know when they'd come back to the door or when they'd worked it open again, but Charming was pulling him off the fairy with all of his might. A burst of magic lept off of the Dark One, slamming the young king back hard, though that was the only acknowledgement he gave as he turned his burning glare back to Blue.

"Rumple," Belle breathed, hand coming to rest on his shoulder and he froze. "Let her go, Rumple. She just saved Bae's life."

"She reversed the spell," he rasped out, mind whirling with the surge of magical power through his veins. It was there, the full breadth of it. He just had to take hold, to claim it and it would be his again. Full and whole and so very much his.

"Baelfire reversed the spell. He did it to save you. Please, Rumple, don't lose yourself now. Not when he risked so much to keep you with him."

Blue dropped to the floor with a thud and her own hand came up to her sore neck.

Belle let out a soft sob as she wrapped her arms around her love's neck. He went slack and they dropped to the floor together, his son's name escaping his lips even as they fell. "He's okay," she promised again and Rumplestiltskin knew only the darkness that crashed around him in waves.

* * *

It took all of David's charm to convince the innkeepers not to toss them out before sunrise. His charm and a quickly implemented spell cast by Regina that had muffled the cries from Rumplestiltskin's room. They huddled now, speaking in low tones about what had happened and what would happen. Bae and Rumplestiltskin were both out, sleeping soundly to the point that no one knew if it were sleep or blissful unconsciousness. Belle sat in with them, the others perfectly content to remain outside.

"I almost hate to say this, but I wouldn't put it past him to have tricked Neal into using the dagger to pull from the curse again," David murmured. Wariness surrounded him like a thick cloak, weighing his shoulders down.

"Surely he wouldn't do that," Snow argued. "Not to his own son."

"He did use you to kill my mother to save his own life, and from what I understand they had a pretty… intimate past," Regina murmured.

"I hate to be the one to defend him," Blue said softly, smoothing out her skirts as she spoke, "but if anything is certain at all in what just happened, it's that Rumplestiltskin did not want his spell to be reversed back onto Baelfire."

"What about the power surge?" Robin asked, leaned against the wall behind where Regina was sitting.

"His eyes weren't those of a human being free of a curse," the fairy acknowledged.

"So you think it took back hold of him?"

"I have no way to say. None of us do until he wakes."

Milah took everything in from her own little dark corner. She'd avoided the room once they'd been ushered out, but while attentions were elsewhere she slipped towards it again. Her son was alive and Rumple had found him. If she had half the chance, she thought she might slit his throat for keeping that from her. If only she'd studied magic, she might have found just the time when his little trick of ripping out hearts might be useful even to her.

Belle had stepped out just as Milah drew close and the elder woman slipped into the dark room. No candles were burning, but the moon was still in the sky and the thin curtains let in its light. Both Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire were asleep, pale and showing signs of blood loss. Neither stirred as she moved forward and dropped to her knees next to the side of the bed her son rested on.

Eight years old. It had been over three hundred years since he was eight years old and she could only assume he'd been to some place fantastical to ward off the aging. His hair was darker than it had been when he was a boy and she could see the barest flecks of grey beginning to set in. He looked a great deal like her father, she thought as she gazed at him now, except for the eyes. The eyes were Rumple's.

He stirred slightly, as if he were fighting his way up towards consciousness, and Milah thought that her heart might stop as those dark eyes opened. He blinked at her sleepily, in a manner that she recognized from the years she'd been with him. A smile pulled at her lips and she reached up to stroke back his hair. "Baelfire."

Her voice seemed to bring him around, but not in the manner she would have liked. Bae squirmed away from her, turning when he noticed the weight on the other side of the bed and he seemed to only heave a deep sigh of relief when he watched the rise and fall of his father's chest. "So it worked. I'll be damned."

"I heard what you did. It was very brave," Milah tried, hoping that those were the words that he wanted to hear.

His brows drew close together as his attention turned back to her. "No. It was desperate." She reached up to try to push back a stray hair and he moved again. "Listen… I know you're not going to like this, but… You're going to have to deal with it. You walked out. You made that choice. If there's one thing I learned over the many years I've been alive now, it's that every choice you make has a consequence attached."

"Baelfire..."

"No," he stopped her in a hushed voice.

"We were going to come back for you…."

"What, when Pop had finished raising me alone? Turned out great, didn't it?"

"You know, he left you too. And for what, _power_?"

"Yeah, but you don't get to play that game. I get to choose who I forgive and why. Not you."

She rocked back on her heels, staring up at her son's face. He kept it mostly passive, not risking a crack for the emotions to come through. If he had any, she reminded herself. Perhaps he felt nothing at all for her. "I'm sorry."

"Not good enough. You need to go."

She should cry. She should want to cry, but there was just a hollowness in her chest that threatened to swallow her up. Maybe when the curse had brought her back it had left her heart out at sea where the wind had surely carried its remains.

"Get out."

So she left, silent and dry-eyed. She didn't look back as she slipped back through the door, nor did she stop when she nearly ran into Belle at her exit. She didn't stop until reached the little corner of the inn that served as a bar and found Killian sitting there. He offered her a smile that said he'd been there for a while and she took a seat next to him, fully intending to catch up.

* * *

The sky began to lighten just a couple hours later and Rumplestiltskin felt himself resurfacing. He was making a habit of this and he didn't like it. The world came into focus slowly and with it came the memories of his last few moments of consciousness. He was sitting up then, the motion quick and not well thought out, and even as the room spun around him he called his son's name out.

"Papa? Papa, it's okay. I'm right here," Baelfire urged from his side.

Dark eyes blinked, making sure that what he was seeing was real. His son's expression turned slowly sheepish as he reached out and took hold of his father's shoulder. "Sorry to scare you," he offered quietly. "I'm fine."

"What the hell were you thinking?" Rumplestiltskin demanded. "What could have ever possessed you to-"

"You were dying. Your magic wasn't saving you, Blue's couldn't help, and… We were running out of options."

"Your life for mine is never an option."

"You said you wouldn't be mad," Bae reminded him carefully. "You going back on that?"

Rumple moved suddenly, wrapping his arms around his son's neck. "I'm not mad, Bae. You frightened me, son."

The confession hung in the air and Baelfire returned the embrace. "I'm sorry." He caught his father's gaze as they parted and saw those familiar dark eyes staring back him. They were a little more wary than usual, but they weren't the gold colour that the curse forced into them. Belle had warned him after Milah had left before. She'd warned him of the explosive power and the fears that they all held. She, of course, was certain that Rumplestiltskin wouldn't leave them. "Magic always comes with a price," he murmured lowly.

"Indeed it does. Looks like you paid it."

"You too."

The elder man blinked and his son pulled the dagger from beneath his pillow, still wrapped in the cloth he'd been carrying it in. As the material fell away, both sets of dark eyes came to rest on deeper etchings than there had been when they left out.

"Well, there's a good sign. Not as deeply ingrained as it could be."

"This is what we're looking at though, isn't it? I'm either going to lose you to your own mortality or lose you to the curse."

A slow smile stretched Rumplestiltskin's lips as he eased himself up and off the bed. He steadied himself, leaning heavily on his left foot. "I don't do well with limited options, Bae. There are two prices I'm not willing to give up for this: you and Belle. If I die, I've got to give you up."

Bae chuckled and shook his head. "Alright then. Let's both make it out of this alive then. Deal?"

His father grinned. "That's a deal I'm ready to make."

* * *

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Notes: For anyone that has been reading my series of oneshots called Just a Little Change, you might recognize part of this chapter. I was still in the planning stages of this when I wrote the oneshot and decided that it needed to be a part of something larger. It's been edited to fit, but if you feel a sense of deja vu, you'll know where it's coming from.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen.**

The sun was up an hour when they left the inn, the two pirates in their company very unhappy with the movement and no one else overly keen on traveling after a sleepless night. They didn't have the time to linger, though, and the innkeeper wouldn't have let them even if they did. The little woman was more frightening than her husband in her demands that they make their way on out of the village.

No one made mention of the previous night's events as they discussed their route, mapping out the trail that would lead them up through the hills ahead of them. Their pace was considerably slower than it had been the day before and no one was willing to blame the other for that, so Snow and Robin took to the map that Milah had produced for the journey, looking for any shortcuts that they could find.

Milah glanced to Baelfire, hoping to catch his eye, but the moment that he noticed he moved, squatting down with his son's grandmother and the outlaw to help them. She hadn't meant to catch Rumplestiltskin's eye at that point, but their gazes crossed and he offered her a blank look that only helped to set her fury a little deeper in her chest. "Don't think that I don't know you've poisoned him against me," she growled out at him.

"No need to," he drawled, giving her the briefest of side-ways looks before taking a step forward to join the conversation at the map. "Planning to go through those caves, are you?"

Several sets of eyes darted up and he pushed down the rising irritation. It shouldn't surprise him that their level of trust had fallen from its already low levels. He hadn't earned any favour with the heroes in his outburst against the Blue Fairy. There was no question in his mind that Snow and Blue had discussed his remaining presence before leaving out, but the conversation had never been brought to him, so it seemed that it was a small triumph at least. He didn't need them to trust him, particularly, he just needed enough freedom to get to the Frontlands and gather the materials he needed to bring back Bae's love and son. Trust wasn't needed for that.

Blue had decided to stay on with them, her fairy clothing put away for garments that more resembled her Mother Superior self. She didn't say so, but Rumplestiltskin would have wagered quite a bit that she had remained to keep an eye on him. Not that it'd do her a damn bit of good if he chose to give in again. Belle had been the only reason he hadn't snapped her neck the night before. So much for one of the earliest users of magic in the Enchanted Forest being useful at all.

"You know them?" Robin asked. "I've never seen them before and we've scouted all along here."

"Your men wouldn't have gone anywhere near them if they'd known anything at all," Rumple answered with a bit more cheer than should have been afforded the statement.

"Why not?" Snow ventured.

"Those, missie, are a unique set of caves indeed. Though you're not wrong to look at them as the quickest way through these hills."

"Are those what I think they are?" Regina asked and it seemed that everyone had gathered around the map now, each trying to get a look at the little marking that signified what looked like an entirely innocent cave. The Dark One's attention to it, though, had gained everyone else's in turn. "The Cave of Mirrors."

"I thought those were a myth," David murmured.

"Yeah, well so are most of us to the people on Earth," Baelfire said with a shrug. "I've never heard of these though."

"It's said that they can reflect your true self. Your happiness, your greatest fears, your truest loves… Whatever your soul clings to," Regina explained.

"How do you know so much about it?" Snow asked as she stood, dusting her clothes clean of the dirt that clung to them.

Her stepmother gave a non-repentive shrug. "I'd planned once to lock you in them and force you to see how much pain you'd brought to me."

The words were said so matter-of-factly that Snow just nodded numbly.

"Is that really our best option?" David asked.

"Quickest, yes," Rumplestiltskin chimed in, "though it is debatable if it's the _best_. I suppose it depends how keen you are on having everything laid bare."

"I don't keep secrets," the king returned sharply.

This pulled a chuckle from the elder man. "No need to be hostile, _Charming_."

Belle laid a hand on his arm and he quieted, the biting fight subsiding for a moment at least. "I think David is trying to ask if it would be more prudent to go around or if the risk is small enough that we should simply go through."

"We'll be okay," Snow White said. "We're all strong here. We'll face it together."

"Touching," Regina grumbled.

"Are you done then?" Milah snapped from her place. "We're losing daylight."

They were gathering things as Regina slipped around to her former teacher, shooting him a look that said she wouldn't take anything less than the truth from him. They had a common goal, he owed it to her to be honest and get them there. They both knew that he didn't owe her anything, but it was best to skip over that whole song and dance. They'd done it more than enough and a price of information could be settled at a later time. "No one else will ask you about it, so I will. What the hell happened last night?"

Dark eyes darted, avoiding hers. "Blue nearly killed my son."

"And you nearly killed her. Are you in control now?"

"Of course I'm in control," he bit back.

"That blade of yours isn't wiped as clean as you'd like us to think, is it?"

"That's none of your concern, dearie."

"Listen… I know that you're along to help Neal - Baelfire - and I know that's what's driving you. All of us do. You haven't exactly made that a secret."

"Get to your point, Regina."

"You're playing with fire."

He turned on her then, eyes flashing gold even though his voice was low. "You think I don't know that? How long did it take you to learn to be as powerful as you are, dearie? Years. It took you _years_. I know. I was there. Every painful step of the way." His voice kicked up a notch, taking on a tone that she knew well. It told her that whatever fire he was playing with, she was about to get burned by. "I don't have that kind of time if we're going to get to them."

"Do you know something? Are they in trouble?"

All at once he deflated, his eyes flickering back to their darker hugh. "I don't know. My Sight isn't working like it used to, but it's the same feeling that comes with it." He looked on to where the others were moving on, Belle and Baelfire holding back for them. "And with every step we take, the sense of urgency grows. Something's wrong, deeper than any of us know, and I'll feel much better those that we want to protect aren't stretched across two worlds."

* * *

The mouth of the cave looked like any other, but the two magic-users and the fairy all paused at its entrance. There was something foreboding inside, lingering just beyond sight and just barely out of reach. It lurked in the shadows, twisting around like something seen out of the corner of the eye, but gone when you turn around.

Milah was the first one to stalk straight in, her boots clomping against the ground and Snow followed after, though even she paused once she'd made it past the entrance. David came up beside her, fingers intertwining in hers as they stood there, eyes wide at the lines and lines of mirrors. They were part of the cave, not put there by man, like rock had been turned to glass. There was no order to them, nor any way to move through the cave without finding one that caught your eye… or you catching the mirror.

"Just as spooky as I'd heard," Regina murmured as she stepped forward, her heels tapping the ground.

"Thanks for not tossing me in here," Snow said as she craned her head back to look at one mirror against the far wall that reached up towards the ceiling.

"Just never found it at the right time," her stepmother answered with a smirk that made Snow wonder if she was trying to make light of the situation to ease her own nerves.

"They're beautiful," Belle said as she walked up to one, her fingers reaching out for it. "Why is everyone so afraid of this place?"

"People have gone mad here," Blue said quietly. "Those that were assumed to have the purest of souls found their own darkness here. Darkness they didn't even know they had. It's brought the bravest men to their knees in fear."

"Little lesson for the cave," Rumplestiltskin called, his voice light to cover up the anxiety that was threatening him. "Try not to look at the mirrors."

There was no question that this was no place for him. Belle had once told him that she thought he covered all the mirrors in his castle because he thought he was uglier than he was. She was wrong, though he didn't have the heart - or lack of heart - to tell her then. He had been ugly enough that he should have shied away from his own reflection, but that wasn't the reason he covered them at all. They let in weakness.

Not just the queen.

Eyes were the mirrors to the soul, though certain mirrors - mirrors as they faced now - could let you view one's soul openly. Like a wound gaping for all to see.

Dark.

Dangerous.

Pain-filled.

"It shows hope," Snow murmured. "Look, David."

The mirror that the king and queen stood nearest to shimmered, revealing their kingdom as it had once been. The towers were fully restored, people moved freely and safely through their villages, and in a window stood Snow herself, a baby in her arms that she was cradling. The image looked to be humming a lullaby as the child snoozed and the live counterpart smiled. "There's nothing to be afraid of here."

"Don't _linger_," Rumple stressed. "The soul's strongest breaths are felt here. You'll stay in it and you'll never live to see the image come to be."

Belle came up behind him, taking his free hand in her own. She didn't say anything, she just made her presence known. He gripped her fingers in his, his other hand tightening around his walking stick in his right hand as they started forward. It tapped, much like Regina's boots, as if announcing his presence. _Here is the Coward. Here is the Dark One. The One That Let His Own Son Go. The One That Let Him Fall. The Man That Ran._ It was a bloody feast for a place like this, and he felt it welling up inside of him even as Belle tightened her grip.

The mirrors that they passed remained blank, as if his warning had caused enough unease that they had begun to shield their thoughts from the magic that dwelt here. Regina had, Rumple was sure. She was good at that. He'd taught her well, even if he'd never quite mastered it himself. Oh, he could mask it, certainly, with a well-placed laugh, a quip, or a dramatic wave of the hand. That didn't make it real.

Bae paused at his side and Rumple stopped as he did, turning. His son's eyes were fixated on a mirror, and as he was about to tell him to move along, not to bother with it, the image showed. A dark alleyway, a typewriter with his name scrawled across the parchment, Emma - younger than they all knew her - standing alone with a cage around her. Her eyes held all the betrayal in the worlds. She turned to Bae - to her Neal - and she reached out, palm pressed against the mirror, "You used me," she whispered, and Bae stumbled back from it. "You betrayed me and Henry." Their son appeared at her side.

"It's an illusion, son," Rumplestiltskin promised, risking his hold on Belle to offer a hand to Bae.

"But it's true."

"No it's not. Emma knew you loved her. Knew your loved the boy. Don't let it fool you, Bae. It's meant to fool you."

"What's that one?" Snow asked and Rumple looked.

The mirror's glass had been directly in front of him and he was now looking straight into the scene. Campfires and screams of those wounded. Those wounded and a man that had no hope left, screaming and rattling an empty cage. The seer's words echoed around him - around all of them - and spoke of his wife being with child. He would have a son and he would leave the boy fatherless. The image-Rumplestiltskin shook the cage, screaming and howling in despair. He could feel those standing around him cringe, even in the dim light of a couple of torches and rows and rows of mirrors. His hand, having dropped from his son's arm, was hanging loosely now, and gripped his own staff in his other hand, holding himself up by it. Suddenly he felt weak on his feet, like his knees would give way beneath him.

He heard Snow White let out a gasp as the poor soul - grasping at any hope that he had - in the mirror looked to mallet next to the cage and swung in, crying out in pain as his ankle shattered beneath the blow. Rumple felt a twinge in his right ankle, starting in that same spot and it worked its way up. He leaned heavily, knuckles white as he gripped the wood beneath his fingers.

Rumple felt eyes on him, the utter emotion from the scene pulsing outward from the mirror. It engulfed them, taking over them, and he felt he might collapse beneath it. Even Milah was silent against it. Why shouldn't she be? It spoke the words she'd tossed his way louder than she ever could.

He was a coward.

"Papa," Bae murmured and his father flinched away from the touch, still caught up in the scene with silent tears streaming down pale cheeks. "You said it's meant to fool you."

"It's real though, isn't it, Rumple?"

Rumplestiltskin turned wide, haunted eyes on Belle, finding her looking at him honestly. She gave a small smile, the one that told him that she was about to issue a brand of encouragement that he should pay attention to. "It hurts to watch, but if you _really_ look at it, knowing what it means, it means _so_ much more."

Charming let out a breath that said that he didn't understand, but didn't want to risk asking.

"It means what it's always meant," Rumplestiltskin managed. "It means I'm a coward."

Belle let out a laugh in the form of a snort. "Rumple," she admonished, "that's not it at all. It means that you were _brave_. Brave enough to do anything to get back to your son. To get back to Baelfire. And you did. Look at where we're at. You found him, and he found you, and…" She sniffed, gripping his hand like it was her tether to everything in that world. "And we're going to be okay, Rumple."

"You think I was brave?" he whispered, voice barely audible amongst the depths of silence that surrounded them.

She smiled, leaning up on her toes and pressing a kiss against his thin lips. She lingered there only briefly before breaking it, finding those dark eyes - so much more human that she'd seen in the Dark Castle when she'd first gotten to know him - staring back at her desperately. "I _know_ you were brave. How could I question it? You did everything for him. To go home to him. No matter what anyone would say."

The tears were flowing freely now, and Rumplestiltskin hated himself for it on one level, but it was crushed by the weight of her truths. It made it okay, somehow, to cry in that moment, even in front of the Charmings and Regina, and Hook. Even in front of Milah. His Belle thought he was brave. She thought he was brave for risking everything that was considered important in the culture he'd lived in… all in order to return to his son. Her hands went to either side of his face and she thumbed away the tears as they fell, her own mirroring his. The mirrors didn't need to bear her soul, because she was laying it open before him now in the echoes of his own pain.

Rumplestiltskin wrapped his arms around Belle and pulled her close, kissing her hair softly. "Thank you," he whispered against her ear. "Thank you."

Snow smiled from her place, tears welling up in her own eyes and she reached out to Blue. "_That_ is why we can trust him."

* * *

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Notes: So Songbird mentioned the gates in the Neverending Story. It was one of my very favourite movies as a little girl and I adored the book (though I was very small when I read it). It was not an intentional reference, but I'm sure it was logged back there in my mental database somewhere :)

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen.**

"Who are Emma and Henry?"

Baelfire startled. They'd been walking with their heads down, each one of them, doing their best to ignore the flashes in the mirror. Those didn't seem to linger when no one was watching them, but even the flashes had turned darker and darker as they were ignored, like the cave was throwing a tantrum. Every once and a while someone would jump as a shriek erupted. They didn't look, mostly because they didn't want to know who it belonged to.

Milah had come to walk next to him, his own distraction allowing for the closeness. Rumple was walking just to the side, one hand wrapped firmly around his walking stick and the other clutching Belle's as if that grip were the one that was really keeping him up. She had known there was something there, and the jealousy that gnawed at her now was something that she knew was wrong. She had no interest in rekindling anything with Rumplestiltskin. Quite the opposite, actually. It just made her sick to know that he had someone while her own love had visions of someone else playing in his head every time he looked at her. She didn't even have a name to hate.

To quell the bitterness, she turned to the one good thing she might be able to cling to. The fact she'd never clung very hard before didn't seemed to matter.

Bae sucked in a deep breath, bringing a hand up to run it through his grey-flecked hair. "They are… Well… Henry's my son. Emma's his mom."

"You have a son?" Milah murmured, not bothering to hide the shock at the words.

"Yeah. I lost him when the curse reversed. Now I'm trying to get back to him."

"And to her?"

Her estranged son gave a mirthless laugh. "Yeah, I hope so."

"This isn't about helping me, is it? There's something back in the Frontlands that your father thinks will help you get back to them."

Dark eyes flitted over to her, gauging his own words before he spoke them. "Yeah," he said at last. "Papa's going to open up a path to the world they're trapped in. What he needs is there."

_Papa's going to…_ Milah bit back her disgust. It was like nothing had changed. He was still the little boy with blinders that she'd never been able to rip off. The little boy that thought his worthless father could achieve anything that he needed him to. She would have thought he'd learned. Rumplestiltskin always disappointed, no matter much faith you were willing to bestow on him.

Instead she forced a smile hoped look real in the dim caves. "You've got his dagger, don't you? He'll do anything you tell him to."

Bae bristled at the statement. "He's helping me because he wants to, not because anyone is forcing him to."

"I didn't mean to-"

"Yeah you did," he cut her off.

A sigh escaped. "Baelfire, what is it that you're looking for? Perhaps I can-"

"No, thanks. We're paying you a high price for what we're after. You get to live free to do whatever the hell it is you want to do and all we asked was for you to lead us there. You're doing that. After that it's done."

She didn't follow as he picked up his pace, moving to chat with Robin just up ahead. All she could feel was the rage boiling within her and the voice that came out of nowhere didn't help.

"A bit of advice: you've got to give him space, dearie."

"I don't need advice from _you_," Milah bit back and Rumplestiltskin shrugged.

"Well you need something. Take it from me, take it from Hook, I don't really give a damn, but I'm starting to think you're the one holding us up."

She whirled on him, eyes flashing in the dim lights. "How dare you?"

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "I'm not baiting you, dear, I'm making a point that I don't think you've seen yet. I've been watching. Everyone one of us has seen something - even that ridiculous fairy - and that's the point of these caves."

"You said not to linger."

"I said not to linger, I never said not to look. We should have passed through these tunnels at least an hour ago, but they keep shifting. There's a toll to be paid, dearie, and you're the only one of us that hasn't paid it."

"I've paid a high enough price for a lifetime."

"Ho, but not to this place."

She snorted and looked ahead. Only a mirror stood before her, reaching up to the ceiling and blank. It wrapped around and the walls were covered in them every which way she looked. "What did you do? Where are the others?"

"Looks like it's time to pay the price."

* * *

There was a rush, a sound of glass shattering backwards, being put up and pieced together where it had not been before. Belle let out a startled cry as the mirror came into being, sealing off Rumple and Milah on the other side. He'd mentioned to her that he thought that their prolonged wandering had something to do with the lone person who had not "paid the price" as he put it and it was something that needed to be addressed if they wanted to get out of there. Now they were trapped on the other side of the new mirror, the rest of their group seeing them from the other side.

"Oh hell, he's going to kill her by the time this is done with," Regina groused. "There goes our guide."

"Can you break it?" Baelfire asked, sounding like he wasn't willing to be the one to disagree. His papa was trying, he could admit that openly, but he was still Rumplestiltskin and Milah had always had a way into goading him into doing things that might not have been done otherwise.

The sorceress pulled in a deep breath and pressed her hands against the mirror. They glowed there and she focused, but nothing happened. "No."

"So how do we get them back?" Snow demanded. "We need Milah to get to the Frontlands and we need Rumplestiltskin to get to Emma."

"If he doesn't kill her, he might actually be the one that can harass her into looking." All eyes turned to Hook and he shrugged. "Milah hides behind more walls than any of us and she's formed up a few more that I've seen since she came back. From what I've heard of this place, she's going to need to let those down for the cave to let us pass through. She's the only one who hasn't seen anything."

"What about you?" Bae asked. "What'd you see?"

The pirate flashed him a grin. "My own personal hellish decisions to be made."

* * *

"What price?" Milah demanded, looking around at the blank mirrors. "Do you see? I'm looking at the thing and there's nothing there."

"You're blocking it."

"I'm _not_ blocking it, Rumple."

Rumplestiltskin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "You don't know you're blocking it, dearie."

Milah glowered at him. "You condescending bastard. You know how to fix it? Fix it then so we can be on our way!"

He was standing a few feet from her, but he moved slowly over, his stick tapping the ground with each step. His eyes held an intenseness that she couldn't quite place, as if he were working very hard to pick her brain apart for the pieces of the puzzle he needed. He stopped when he was directly in front of her and a slow smile twitched his lips upward. "You've got to find what your soul clings to."

"It clings to getting out of here."

A chuckle left his throat, followed by a tutting sound that made her want to lash out at him. "It's a bit deeper than all that." They were nearly nose to nose now and Milah pushed down the rising irritation that bordered on something much darker. Her expression only seemed to entertain him, but he took a half step back, looking smug. "Right then. I thought as much."

"Now is not the time to be cryptic."

"You left because you wanted an adventure."

"Is this really the time-"

He held up one hand, instantly silencing her. "It wants something, dearie. Give it over."

"I don't know how," she quietly confessed, looking back at the mirror, only her own reflection showing. She'd looked at many mirrors as they'd walked through the cave, each giving a similar reaction. There was just her. Grey eyes and dark hair and a wild beauty that had never belonged in the Frontlands. She belonged outside of the cage life had put her in, sailing the seas or flying through the sky, it didn't matter. She needed her freedom more than anything else. She'd convinced herself for so long that if she could find love, she could find happiness, so she'd married the excitable spinner that seemed bent on making her happy. The same man, the one that had destroyed any hope of that happiness when he'd returned a coward from the war, limped up behind her now, and the image flickered into being.

"There you go, dear," he whispered into her ear and she shivered. That old hovel had been suffocating, but to escape it had seemed so far-fetched in those early days after he'd come home. He'd been happy enough to coddle Bae, to love on him even when she'd let herself go. It had been easier that way.

"Did you really hate it that much?"

"You know I did. It was a cage."

"And that's your fear? To be caged." There was no real judgement in his voice, just a statement. His dark eyes were focused almost fondly at the image that the mirror had pulled from her mind. "And your soul's truth, Milah? What would you give to obtain that?"

She turned and Rumple saw the image flicker to another, very briefly as her icy gaze came to rest on him. "_Anything_," she vowed and the mirror shattered behind her to reveal the others.

Belle nearly took Rumplestiltskin off his feet as she crossed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his neck. He smiled into her hair and pulled her closer. "Look at that," he murmured, "an open pathway."

"Let's not waste any more time," Regina urged, starting down the newly opened path and towards the light that could be seen just beyond.

It was close, closer than it'd been all day as they'd walked through, finding turn after turn after turn. The last question had been answered and the cave released them to overlook a land that had been ripped to shreds by war in years gone by. The forest lay beneath them, the harbor just beyond, and it was spotted with little villages that seemed lost in time.

"Was that your home?" Belle asked, squeezing Rumplestiltskin's hand.

"It was."

"We've already lost time we can't get back." Milah pushed through them, uninterested in the view as she started down the side of the hill.

One by one the others followed her, but of all the voices to stop him, Rumple wouldn't have expected it to be David's. "We could see you from the other side. Could you see what she was seeing?"

"I could."

"What'd you see? There at the end?"

The elder man turned, his expression serious. "Not quite sure yet, but watch her. Watch her closely."

* * *

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen.**

Belle and Rumplestiltskin had never dwelled too much on his past. Of course, they'd discussed things that had to do with the here and now like Bae and anything that pertained to their relationship, but everything else was left well enough alone. There was pain there that sometimes came bubbling forth in the form of dreams and nightmares, and she'd heard more than a few when she lived in one of his many guest rooms in Storybrooke. Some of those nights she'd even snuck down and pushed open his bedroom door, whispering his name into the darkness. She'd found him there, curled around his pillows and twisted up in the sheets, eyes haunted and far away. At the time he'd barely said anything, hiding behind those walls that he was still trying to tear away for her.

As they picked their way down the hillside she wondered if any of those dreams had landed him here. She'd heard of the Frontlands in the distant sort of way people from her home heard of the war-torn countryside. Some of the very first Ogre Wars had been fought there, ripping even children from their homes to fight in them. Legend had it that the Dark One himself had been the one to end it, leading the children home covered in their enemies blood. That was why her father had called on Rumplestiltskin in the first place, and now that she knew him, she was certain that he had led them home, though perhaps not as gruesomely as the stories said. She'd seen him around enough children to know he was a gentler soul with them - with very rare exceptions - even completely submerged in the Dark One's curse.

"Not quite what your history books say, is it?" Rumple's lilt filled her ears and she smiled.

"I was actually thinking of a particular story."

"Our home made it into the history books?" Baelfire asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Well, a few things did." She glanced up at her love and squeezed his fingers in hers. "Like the Dark One leading children back from the Ogres War?"

He had never liked to admit to the good things he'd done, even when she'd brought them up living in the Dark Castle with him, so the fact that he gave an enigmatic smile didn't surprise her at all. It was his son that answered, though, with a smile of his own that was a bit more distant, as if it were the last thing he remembered of his childhood that wasn't entirely shrouded in darkness. "He did. Made me stay home for it too, but my best friend told me the story. The kids were burned from the fires and covered in blood and grime, but he had them laughing by the time they returned to their parents. He brought them all home and ended the war."

"And then promptly went up to the Duke of the Frontland's castle and ripped his throat out," Rumple added in the same tone he might have used to order a burger at Granny's.

"You did _what_?" Snow gaped, tuning in to the story.

"Isn't that going to be a problem when he sees you?" David murmured.

"On the contrary, I'd say my face will spark enough fear in him to kick this little plan into motion. Really, are you so naive as to think you can simply walk up to an egotistical bastard such as the Duke of the Frontlands and simply hand over money and he'll keep his word? I'd thought you'd seen too much to huddle in that type of ignorance."

"Brutality is not required amongst civilized people," Blue snapped from her place.

"Oh no, dearie, in fact I find that the _threat_ of brutality often works better than the act. Anyway, the Duke is not civilized, by your standards or mine. He used children to do his work and took them younger and younger every year."

That quieted the fairy. There was no question that _they_ were never the ones called on to end the Ogre Wars, no matter where they sprouted up. Since Rumplestiltskin had marched out on that field that day, full of new power that surged through every vein, his name had been called to end them, no matter what corner of the Enchanted Forest the wars waged in. The fairies never appeared to put a stop to that particular slaughter.

"I need to speak to my contacts before we make it all the way down to the village," Milah said. "If they see unfamiliar faces directly off, they'll attack before any questions are asked."

"I'll come down with you," Hook offered.

"_Any_ unfamiliar faces," his lover countered and looks were exchanged. She met them with her head held high. "You've trusted me this far, I don't see why it should pause here."

"How long do you think this will take?" Charming questioned.

"An hour, at most. Less, more than likely. I'll meet you right back here. Don't move."

She left them at that, making her way down the hill and towards the treeline below. They watched her from their spot until she disappeared into the brush and Regina was the one to break the silence. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I have this sudden urge to move."

"Me too," David agreed, though looks said he wasn't the only one. He turned sharp blue eyes to Rumple. "I think it's time we have an open discussion about what you saw in her mirror."

* * *

"We need to renegotiate the terms."

Jack Hayes turned, the scowl not lifting even when he recognized the voice. "Unless you have it in your possession, you have no room to negotiate."

"The person that currently holds it is the one that I want to negotiate sanctuary for. He's harmless."

"Harmless, you say? Then slit his throat and take the damn thing."

"I can't. The Dark One has cast a spell over it. No one may take it from him."

"And how did you come to discover that?"

"I'm not a simpleton. I put it together."

Hayes shot his companion an irritated look. "Then you've put together why the Dark One would bother having some stranger in Snow White's court hold his legendary dagger." A dangerous smile crossed his lips and he caught her by the throat, nearly lifting her off the ground as he growled into her ear, "You said your son was dead, Milah."

"I thought he was," she managed. "Rumple found him."

"Did he now?" Hayes threw her to the ground and stood over her. "Finish your part of the bargain, Milah. You bring those closest to the Charmings to their knees before us and we'll give you your freedom. You want that, don't you? To be off the leash?"

"You know that I do."

"Bring us the dagger as we've so politely asked for and your son may yet live through this. Otherwise, we'll have to find another way to get it and you've been less than useless."

"I brought them here!" she growled, standing to dust herself off.

"They're not here for you. The Dark One has other plans, I'd wager. Bring them down. Don't let them suspect. You know the deal we made."

"Too well."

Hayes let another cruel smile tip his lips and he lifted the charm around her neck with two thick fingers. "Finish it, Milah, or you'll die with them. Hook and Baelfire as well."

* * *

Rumplestiltskin knew well enough of his own deep-seated hatred for Milah. He'd tried - very diligently, he might add - to keep that knowledge at the forefront when dealing with her along this trip. The quick flash in the mirror of Milah standing with his own dagger in her hand had sent a chill deeper than he thought it could set and when Charming had called him out on it, he'd let the knowledge go without too much trouble.

"You think she's going to betray us?" Baelfire asked lowly.

"I don't know, son," his father answered, perched on a rock with his knees drawn up to himself. He balanced there, the spot perfect for keeping an eye on each of his companions in turn.

"Neal still has your dagger, doesn't he?" Robin questioned from his own place. "She'd have to take it from him."

"She can't," Rumplestiltskin answered sharply, prickling at the idea. "He'd have to be willing to give it to her."

"I think it goes without saying that I'm not doing that," Bae answered with a sigh. "So what now?"

"We've got to get ahold of that plant," Snow murmured determinedly. "If we don't, we've lost our chance at Emma and Henry."

"By this point whoever Milah's really working for is bound to have a pretty good idea why we're here," Regina murmured. "If he does and we just disappear, that'll be the first thing they burn."

"Is that what you would do?" Blue asked, her voice tipping up a notch in condemnation.

"Yeah, it is," the former Evil Queen answered without missing a beat.

"So some of us will stay, others will go to the plant," Charming offered. "We'll pick up the time that we need that way and the others can stall."

"Bae and I'll go down to pick it up," Rumplestiltskin said, unfolding himself from his perch.

"We need you here for the negotiations," Snow said quickly. "Look down there. Milah wasn't lying about what he's done to those villagers. If we can save them _and_ get the plant, we need to do that."

"I don't want him anywhere near this if he's got a target on his back. Even if I took the dagger back at this point, they'd never believe it."

"Then I'll go down for the plant and you stay here with David and Mary Margaret," Baelfire countered. "I'll take Regina and Robin down with me, that'll cover any long-distance fighting that might pop up, and Belle to help me uncover the location. You've got the parchment with the print on it, right?"

"I'm not-"

"Pop, I know, but we're down to the wire on this. We've got to make this work or all of this has been for nothing. Trust me, Papa."

"I do trust you, Bae."

Baelfire flashed him a grin that did nothing to put whirling mind at ease. "We'll be fine."

"I'll go with them," Blue offered, "to help supplement any power needed or to act as a contact point."

"Because a fairy's help is _just_ what they need," Rumplestiltskin snapped.

"This is the best option we have on hand," David murmured.

Belle stepped forward, taking Rumplestiltskin's hands in her own. He met her eyes and he knew he was about to lose the argument at hand. He tried to steel himself against it, really he did, but she carefully tipped up on her toes and pressed a kiss against his lips. "Trust us," she whispered and he felt his resolve melt.

With a flick of his hand a parchment appeared between his fingers and he handed it to her. It detailed out what they were looking for and where. "Be quick. As soon as we're done here I'll transport us to where you are."

She grinned at him. "Look at you, helping to negotiate a truce."

"If my payment is a way to cross worlds to get to my grandson, then that's high enough," he acknowledged tightly. "Go. Before Milah gets back and puts a stop to it."

* * *

"Well, I have to say that I thought he'd be the death of you, Lady Belle, but it seems you've quite tamed the beast," Robin chuckled once he was certain they were out of the Dark One's range of hearing.

Belle decided it was best to not mention that she was pretty sure that a man that could respond to his name being called from all corners of the lands didn't _have_ a range of hearing. "He's not a beast, Robin. Most people just don't know him like I do. Rumple… Well, he'll be the first to tell you that he's not a hero, per say, but I don't think that makes him a villain. Not really. He's been playing the part so long to get what he wanted - what he _needed_ - that sometimes he forgets that, but I know him better."

The outlaw quirked an eyebrow. "Better than he knows himself, I'd wager."

"Sometimes," she answered with a growing smile.

"I'll vouch for that," Bae chuckled as they skirted closer to the hill and over some loose rocks. He recognized these hills, strangely enough. Centuries had passed by and the reversal of the curse had thrown the land back down as if it'd never been destroyed. He hadn't been there for the destruction, of course, but he'd heard. The parchment that his father had given over to Belle would lead them right to the field that backed up to a hillside. The plants grew in the shade - or had once - and would be tucked away in the deepest, darkest section of it.

"Be careful, dear," Blue directed at Belle. "You may think you know him, but darkness sets deep against one's soul. There's no escaping it once you're in too deep."

Pretty blue eyes flickered over to the life-size fairy, innocent and yet sharp. She didn't miss a beat. "And who decides what's too deep?"

"There's a point where one can't return from."

"And that is?"

Robin let out a low whistle. "Okay, I'm going to guess there's some history there?"

"You have no idea," Regina grumbled, massaging the bridge of her nose as if she'd sat through a building rant or a hundred from her former teacher.

"That might be my fault," Bae offered.

"Hardly your fault," Blue answered in return.

Baelfire skidded to a stop then, turning to look at her with his head cocked to the side in question. Dark eyes studied a lighter shade of brown, watching for any sign that she might give off at his words. "Did you know?"

"Know what?"

"What that bean would mean to him?" It was a conversation they'd had on the ship back to Storybrooke, after leaving Neverland. Rumplestiltskin had told his son the story, divulging everything after so many, many years. Bae knew now at least part of what that terror had been when the portal opened up. Some of it had been the curse, certainly, already clinging to his father and changing him, but some of it had been that memory.

_It's a trick! It'll tear us apart!_

Childhood fears remained some of the deepest embedded in the human mind.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you mean."

A crooked smile perked and and Bae chuckled before turning. "Right," he murmured, receiving his answer in the tenseness of her shoulders that told of a lie. He turned his attention back to the parchment and then to the landscape. "There we go. Isn't that them?"

Belle's eyes lit. "I see them!"

Regina took a step forward. "Henry," she breathed, as if the far-stretched dream had finally flickered into the hope of reality.

Bae nodded. "Let's get down there. Pop can't put it together if he doesn't have those."

* * *

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen.**

If one thing had become evident along their journey it was that this was a game with many, many layers worked into it. It was a bit of a chess match with the more important pieces hiding from sight, making them much more difficult to decipher their value. If there was one thing that Rumplestiltskin had found himself adept at over his many years of deal-making, it was deciphering value in items that others might not see. There was no question in his mind that many pawns were being used, but there were higher pieces, more important pieces, that they'd yet to uncover. Sure, they'd caught glimpses, and he hadn't forgotten the seals the snipers had worn that he couldn't quite recognize in the forest just before Bae had been injured, but it was information such as that that seemed to be lacking in his overall unwinding of a particularly difficult thread. He had no question he'd find that piece, though, and that he was nearing to it. When he did, he'd pull on it with all his might and everything would come into view. Nice and laid open and ready for him to act as necessary.

To find that final thread, though, he needed focus, and that was becoming increasingly difficult to catch a hold of as well. He hadn't realized how much he'd been relying on Belle and Baelfire's presence to steady him on the increasingly fine line between light and darkness. Between the Dark One's Curse and freedom from it. He'd felt it gnawing at him with greater strength since Bae had wielded the dagger to save his life, that dark little voice nipping at his mind and pulling at his desperate soul. He'd been able to ignore it to a great extent, or at least manipulate it into the direction that he'd wanted it to go to make it more bearable, but he found it growing stronger now that they weren't there.

Snow White and her Charming seemed to know to leave well enough alone. If they thought he was simply brooding or buying time, he couldn't say, but they sat quietly and without disturbing him until Milah stalked back up, unhappy to find over half the party gone. She looked flustered, Rumple noted, though she hid it behind her usual sharp glares and walls that would have made any builder jealous. She was not accompanied by a face any of the others recognized, but he couldn't have forgotten it if he'd tried. The man, dressed in a uniform long-since out of style, found himself gaping at the Dark One without being able to pull his voice from his throat.

Rumplestiltskin stood, his walking stick put away for appearances and a spell keeping him steady on his feet. His smile was reminiscent of the one he often wore in Storybrooke: one that said that he knew all the cards in any hand and was ready to play the game. The look seemed to make Milah's new companion quiver appropriately and he managed in a shaky voice that sounded very odd coming from him: "I was under the i-impression that there would be a larger party involved."

"The size of our party is none of your concern, Hordor," Rumple said smoothly, his voice causing the other man to cringe.

"We're here to see the Duke of the Frontlands. He should be expecting us," Snow said, having been cut off by the wizard's power-play. She straightened her shoulders and tilted her head up, not allowing for any misunderstanding of who she was or the authority that she brought with her.

"He is, Queen Snow," Hordor murmured. "This way."

She and David exchanged a look before moving forward, the blond man slipping back only slightly to catch Rumplestiltskin's eye. "Kill him too?" he asked, though it might have been an attempt at a jest.

"Yes. He threatened my son." The words weren't hidden by the same low tone that the king had used and no one missed the flinch it brought from the dark-clad man leading them forward. One more pawn had been noted on the board, but that didn't mean that he couldn't be useful to their side. Hordor had never been the brightest of creatures that Rumplestiltskin had come across, but he was clever enough when it came to self-preservation. Well, except once, though it had been too late by the time that he knew his life needed preserving. He would wager the Dark Castle that they knew Bae was there and likely even knew he had the dagger. It was a safe bet, he thought, as he watched Milah's uncomfortable expression at the turn of events.

Hook had tried to approach her and was met with barely civil hostility, shut off by the same cold and guarded look she afforded to all of them. Finally she couldn't shift away any further without it becoming blatantly obvious to all onlookers and the blue-eyed pirate got close enough to speak directly into her ear, his voice low and borderline strained. "I know you're in trouble, love, and I've got one favour your former husband owes me. Pretty big one too. I'm willing to make use of it to save you, but you've got to let me in."

She startled at his words, pulling back and their eyes met briefly. "I don't know what you mean."

"Yeah you do."

"No, I really can't say," Milah stressed lowly, her fingers touching the pendant that she wore very briefly.

A single dark eyebrow shot up in understanding and Hook offered her a quick nod. "My mistake then, love."

They wound down the opposite side of the hill that the others had left some half hour or so before. There was an uncomfortable silence amongst the group, as if certain members were weighing the true intentions of others and didn't dare tip their own hand. The fact that the pirate captain was purposefully making his way closer to Rumplestiltskin every few steps had the wizard resisting the urge to cast a spell that would loosen the rocks beneath his feet. The mental image of Hook plummeting was enough to keep him for a few moments at least.

"We need to talk," Killian said lowly.

Rumple bit back a sharp statement, Belle's voice in his head even if not in his ears. "Then talk."

"Milah's in trouble."

"I thought we were all in agreement that she _is_ the source of the trouble."

"That's not what I mean. I think she's being controlled."

"Don't be a fool."

A frustrated sound left the younger man. "Fine, let me put this into terms you can understand: You owe me a favour. I fished you out of the water when I could have let the sea take you. I'm calling it now."

"Of all the-"

"I'm calling it now, crocodile."

Rumplestiltskin was ready to tell the pirate just what he thought about the statement, but his dark eyes flickered over to the woman he'd once loved. He hadn't been looking for it, and truth be told, he wasn't really looking for it now, but Hook's words had been enough to trigger something. It flickered with magic, just a glint that was barely visible and probably not even so to most. A pendant that he'd paid less than no mind to resting at the hollow of her throat. As he watched it, as he _did_ pay mind to it, he saw the subdued tentraticals of magic that spread out from it, wrapping around her like a marionette that had made one too many turns and had been caught up in its own strings.

"What?" Hook hissed into his ear and with barely a thought he was silenced. His jaw wouldn't part and his lips couldn't move. He shot a look at the wizard and received a steady one in return.

"Quiet down, dearie," Rumple growled lowly, "or you'll tip our hand."

* * *

There was an absurd amount of pomp when it came to the Duke of the Frontlands. He'd always imagined himself something much larger than he was. He'd built his castle on the backs of poor townsfolk and had filled his vaults with money earned off their crops. Their blood had bought his victories in the Ogres Wars and he'd had no care if that blood came from child or parent.

Rumplestiltskin could still remember the day not long after he'd led the children home. That was, he was sure, his last grasp at the original attempt to turn the Dark One's curse to good. The little ones were home safe in their beds, fires stoked, and doors shut for the night. He'd made sure Bae was sleeping soundly before trying his hand at simply _willing_ himself to go to where he needed to be.

It had been easy. Far too easy, just as everything had become so quickly after he'd taken those powers. In a theatrical poof of smoke he'd appeared inside the castle of the Duke, standing outside the man's own bedchambers. The hall had still smelled of burnt wood and tapestries though there were no longer any in sight. He'd stood there for several minutes, mind battling against itself. There was a voice there now, tiny and dark, but it was persistent.

_He has taken everything from you. He would have taken more. Kill him. Crush him. Make him beg._

Really, he was doing them all a service, he'd convinced himself after he'd waltzed in and torn the man's throat as he'd sat begging for his life. The blood had gone everywhere and instead of the fear he was sure that would overtake him he had felt only a deep satisfaction that this creature held nothing over him any longer.

That same man looked nervous now, sitting under a banner that was not his own. Hordor moved to speak lowly in his ear and Rumple watched them watch him, the king and queen entirely ignored for his own presence. Well, some things never change. He let several beats pass until Snow was ready to break into the stuttering and spoke as if everyone in their little party was on the same page. "She doesn't have it, dearie, so if you were hoping to have regained what you once lost I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint."

"I don't-"

"Oh, you know _exactly_ what I'm referring to," the Dark One answered with a sneer, stepping forward. He could feel the pressure of the darkness building around him, promising him a little more clarity to his Sight, a little more strength behind his blows, if he would just give a little bit more to it. Just let those etchings set firmly into the blade.

To their credit, Snow and Charming stood back, putting something that might have been akin to faith in his actions.

"It doesn't matter," the Duke said at last. "She'll get it. She'll stop at nothing until she gets it. She thought… She thought she was just getting a prize in the king and queen coming to us, but when you showed up… When the Dark One appeared on Milah's ship… Your fate was sealed there. She'll stop at nothing now."

"Who's _she_?" David demanded.

"I don't dare speak her name, but you'll see soon enough."

Snow stepped forward. "I can see you're frightened. We can help you. Let us help you, Duke, and-"

"No one can help us now. Your friends won't make it out of the valley alive. She'll rip the dagger from the boy and spill his blood across the fields."

There was a flash, like a spark of electricity and Rumplestiltskin found himself with his hands wrapped around the man's thick throat. "You'll speak her name or I'll repeat our last meeting, do you hear me?"

The duke trembled, voice barely audible and yet all heard it in the deafening silence. "She's the Witch."

* * *

"I hate to be the one to bring about the gloom, but does anyone else feel like this was too easy?" Robin called from his outlook. The others had been dutifully gathering the plants, Belle and Bae putting them carefully into a pair of satchels and Blue whisking even more away to some hidden, magical pocket with her wand.

"You're just voicing what everyone's thinking," Regina replied. Her dark eyes were taking in every inch of the field, back to the climbing rocks behind them. They were in deep shade now with the sun setting it the colours spread out against the grass like flame. She'd heard Rumplestiltskin speak of how his visions struck from time to time: in pieces and glances. She wondered if he ever saw something that might have been beautiful but felt the dread of what it really meant. The former queen couldn't shake that feeling now.

"We're almost done. Pop won't let them come without warning," Baelfire assured her.

"Unless they overpower him."

"If it were that easy, we would have done it long ago," Blue grumbled.

Belle bristled at the statement. "Isn't that enough yet? Rumple is trying and that's all we can ask of him. The fact that he gave Bae his dagger should be enough for you."

"Forgive me, child, but I fear that some of us have known him too long to instill such blind faith."

"Shut it," Regina hissed suddenly and Robin was standing next to her. "Did anyone hear that?"

"It's too quiet," Bae agreed as he shouldered his satchel and pulled his sword from its sheath. The sky had grown darker and silent, the birds that had been heard in the distance having stopped their songs. The wind rustling through the tall grass was the only real sound outside of their own voices.

For a long moment there was nothing and they thought they'd imagined it, but then all at once the silence shattered. The sky grew dark and the storm was sudden, shadows swirling around them from the sky and from the ground, grasping at them as if hands were trying to take hold. Shrieking cries pierced the air amidst the whirlwind of power that ripped the world apart.

"What is it?" Robin managed.

"It's done," Regina answered roughly, throwing her own attack outward.

It was a retaliation, not really aimed but certainly affective. The clouds screeched as if burned and in the darkness Bae caught a good glimpse of what they were. "You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

"What are they?" Belle managed over the sound.

"Monkeys. Damn flying monkeys!"

* * *

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen.**

"Gold! You're going to kill him!"

Rumplestiltskin didn't seem to hear David. The only sign that he remembered any of them were there at all was the spell that had wrapped itself around them, freezing each in place as he snarled into the petrified Duke's face. He'd found his thread and now everything was unraveling at his command, the man's frighten stammers giving away valuable snippets of information between gasps for air. He refused to meet eyes that flashed to gold, instead turning his desperate look to his worthlessly quaking knight and pretty pirate that wouldn't have moved an inch for him if she could.

"Quickly, dearie, we don't have all day," Rumple sing-songed, a chill washing the whole room, but he eased his grip to allow a bit more air and a few more words to pass.

She was a force that even the Dark One couldn't hope to contend with from a land unknown to none. Her magic was limitless and no one could stop her. She wanted every corner of every kingdom and she'd stop at nothing to get to it. There was no point in fighting it, the Duke sobbed.

"Last question," Rumplestiltskin promised smoothly, voice coming back under control and he loosened his grip, giving the frightened man his full breath back. "You've obviously met her, but has Milah?"

"Yes," the Duke managed. "The Witch was the one that collared her, not me. I had nothing to do with it, Dark One, I _swear_ it."

Eyes that had settled back to their normal dark brown flickered to amber again. "Of course not, dearie. It's _never_ your fault, is it?"

Snow let out a small sound as they watched the man disintegrated in front of them. His ashes, fine and light, scattered into the air like dust and they watched the one that had caused it carefully, unable to do more until he lifted the spell. He moved forward, pent up power almost tangible in the air around him as if his control held by lonely the barest thread and the thread was tattered and worn.

He stopped directly in front of Milah, her discomfort evident even if she couldn't move and his thin fingers touched the pendant at her neck. His eyes studied it and he could feel the power leaping out at him, nipping at his fingertips. It was foreign magic, certainly, and that coupled with his attempts to avoid Milah since the start of all this was probably why he hadn't noticed. Reason, not an excuse. There was no valid excuse for missing something like this.

He felt her eyes studying him and his voice was low. "You're going to live, dearie, only because I owe your lover a particularly large favour."

"Living means nothing with a leash," she murmured. "What's your price, Rumple?"

"I never said I could undo it."

"But I know you can. What's your price?"

For a moment he just looked at her, eyes full of hate and betrayal and distrust. Finally they softened back to something like his own and were simply guarded. He had control again. Complete control. He'd need it for this. "Bae."

"Done."

There was no question between them on what he'd meant and he reached up without pause and tugged hard, his magic countering the spell that screamed from the pendant. Green sparks flew from it and a thousand tiny voices seemed to fade away with the light from it.

In the same instant the spell fell away and Rumplestiltskin turned dark eyes on his remaining companions. "Let's go meet a witch," he offered cheerfully and they were gone in a poof of smoke.

* * *

He could remember only in the vaguest of ways watching the Wizard of Oz. He couldn't remember where he'd seen it, or really much more than there's been a girl, some shoes, and a tornado. And monkeys. He'd learned to hate monkeys from that movie.

Baelfire ducked and rolled out of the way of a particularly nasty monkey, feeling claws catch ahold of his shoulder and ripping through his shirt and down to skin. Its other hand grabbed at him - grabbed at the bag that held his hope for seeing Emma and Henry again - and he swung wildly with his cutless, sending it howling.

"What the hell are these things?" Robin demanded, arrow striking one in the head.

"Demons?" Blue asked, though by her tone it was obvious that even she wasn't sure.

Well, at least Bae knew he wasn't the only one from the Enchanted Forest that didn't know Oz really existed. A burst of magic set one particularly nasty monkey on fire just before it took hold of him and he whirled to see Regina poised to throw another. "This couldn't have been much worse," she lamented.

"You've seen it, huh?"

"Once. About half-way through. Henry wanted to watch it."

They dodged another onslaught, Baelfire using his sword and Regina her fire. He glanced back to see Belle holding her own against one, sword in hand and apparently the lessons had paid off.

"There's too many of them," Bae murmured at last. "They just keep coming."

"We can start for the higher ground," Blue called over the cries.

"And they'll throw us from the ledge," Belle countered. "Stable ground is our closest ally. Rumple and the others will be done shortly, so all we need to do is hold them off."

"We have to accept the fact that they're probably dealing with the same thing," Regina answered. She closed her eyes briefly, power gathering around her. It was impressive, none of them could deny it, and it pushed them back at least for a few moments, frying some and sending others scurrying and crying.

And then it rebounded, magic swirling around them in the form of green mist and green-white lightning that sparked through the air. It aimed for Regina first and her eyes went wide in surprise and pain before rolling back almost instantly. Her knees buckled and her legs folded, taking her fully to the ground without anyone quite close enough to ease the fall. Her name left Bae's lips, but it was Robin that was at her side almost immediately. "Regina? C'mon, wake up now, love," he murmured, pulling her close to check her breathing.

"There's a great darkness here," Blue managed. A spark of the same green-white light drove her wand from her hand, sending it flying into the air and a startled sound came from her throat. It arced, landing perfectly in the waiting hand of a woman that no one had seen appear. Almost like she'd called it.

She was tall, a smart look about her and a smile touching her lips that said she at least thought she'd won with little to no opposition. She held the fairy wand, dangling it between two of her very green fingers. "Well, is that all?" she asked.

Bae and Belle gripped their swords and Robin eased Regina carefully to the ground to ready his bow. The battle readiness of their little party only made the Witch chuckle even more. "Oh please, not on my account. There's really no need." In a burst of smoke swords and bow alike disappeared. "I just want to chat. You don't mind, do you? No need to fuss, just… relax."

There were hands on them now, greedy little hands belonging to the same creatures that had attacked them. They hung there, from shoulders and wrapped around ankles and knees, weighing them down so that they couldn't move and couldn't hope to fight. Regina was still out on the ground, magic useless in her unconscious state and Blue stood wide-eyed staring that the new addition to the little clearing. She watched as the Witch spoke, hands moving in surprisingly gentle gestures and the wand held there the whole time. She wasn't using it, but Blue couldn't seem to recall it to her.

The Witch strode forward, smiling the whole way and stopped just in front of Bae. His arms were behind held down by the monkeys and he struggled against them, but she caught his chin in her hand. "So _you're_ the one the Dark One chose to hold his dagger? His only child, is that so? Who would have thought someone of such great power could be so sentimental. It's amazing he's lasted this long." Her eyes traveled over the others, falling on each in turn and her smile became a bit more crooked when she looked at Belle. "So much sentiment."

Baelfire was forced down on his knees, hands pushing at all sides and green fingers still clutching at his chin. "You want my father's dagger?"

"I do."

"Tough."

"I'm asking nicely. Just once, but then I'll have to take it from you after I kill you. That gets needlessly messy."

"And you still wouldn't have it," Bae snapped back, feeling a grin spread across his face. He couldn't move, couldn't even twitch one way or the other with the number of hands holding him, but his father's protection stood firm. He could _feel_ it. He had no idea if he'd put the spell back in place to rebound back to him if he were hurt or if he'd abided by his son's wishes and left that part off, but he did know that she wasn't taking that dagger from him. It was something they could both agree on: the Wicked Witch of the West had no business controlling the Dark One.

A steady realization seemed to set in and the Witch's smile faltered. "Well, he's as clever as I've heard. Good. That means this will be fun." The smile returned and she patted Bae's cheek. "Very well."

With barely a twitch of her fingers the ground lept up to take them down, binding them to it so that her monkeys were free to release them. It bound all but Belle, whom they moved closer to the Witch. She reached forward and took hold of the struggling young woman, hand clamped around her wrist like a vice that couldn't be opened. "Tell Rumplestiltskin I look forward to meeting him. I'm sure he won't have too hard of a time finding me."

"No!" Bae yelled, pulling against the ground that held him. "Why her? You can take me! I'm the one with the damn thing!"

"I'm no fool, Baelfire. Your father cast the spell so that you and you alone can give up the dagger. A little pain's not going to force your hand in that, but hers…. She has a special place in his dark heart, doesn't she? Can you imagine his life without her?"

Then they were gone, Bae's screams echoing even as the patches of dirt tightened around him and the others.

* * *

Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. He had to take a deep breath to steady himself against the realization so as not to tip over, not to lose control again. The sight that met their eyes as they appeared though shattered all resolve.

The Witch. That was the only creature that could have done all of this. She had Belle by the hand. His Belle. His heart. She looked so brave, even as she looked just beyond the others and Rumplestiltskin thought that she might have seen them appear in the moment just before the Witch pulled her away. He didn't know how she could be so strong, so brave. All he could feel was the crushing fear and panic as her name fell from his lips and a burst of power exploded just where the green-skinned woman had stood, finding only empty air and grass.

It was dark magic, deep from within and as his eyes caught sight of his extended hand it glittered in the setting sun. Gold and rough and cursed. Another burst of angry magic left nothing of the grass or the dirt where the Witch had been.

* * *

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen.**

Baelfire and the others were free from their bonds almost as if it had been done unconsciously. With the way that dark magic swirled around his father, Bae thought it was possible. He'd never seen him so angry before, so ready to take out everything in his path just to rip one open to follow. The emotions were heavy in the air, almost tangible, but just as quickly everything died back down. The winds slowed and a small sound escaped Rumplestiltskin as he dropped to his knees in the dirt.

No one moved. No one dared. Amber eyes stared without seeing straight ahead to where Belle had last been and there was no question how deeply his name was now etched into the dagger by the physical evidence that had taken hold of Rumple.

"Papa?" Bae called, the whisper more like a shout in the tense silence. When his father didn't respond he moved forward, making sure not to quiet his footsteps. It didn't seem to matter because he didn't even blink until he was right next to him, hand grasping his shoulder.

Rumplestiltskin jerked under his son's touch, eyes coming into focus. "Bae?" He took in the younger man's appearance: the blood soaked arm and the ripped clothing. He stood without pause then and Baelfire felt magic wrap around the wounds healing them almost instantaneously. The skin knitted back together, smooth like nothing had happened at all and the hand remained outstretched as if forgotten. He reached out for it, grasping it close to his chest until he felt his father's fingers tighten in his own.

"Hey? You with me?" he asked at last.

"Yes," came the strained response.

"You okay?"

"No."

Baelfire felt his breath hitch and he pulled the elder man close, wrapping his free arm around his shoulders. Rumplestiltskin laid his forehead against his son's shoulder and Bae felt him suck in a breath. "I couldn't-"

"None of us could. We'll get her back."

"You angry?"

A sigh left him and his grip tightened. He _was_ angry. Angry that none of them had been quick enough. Angry that the Witch had read them all like an open book and gotten a way in, no matter how many protections they'd put in place. Angry that she'd taken Belle and not him. And yes, he was a little angry that his father's first reaction was to revert back, to pull on the darkness, but he could never voice that. It would make him a hypocrite of the worst sort, because, if Bae was even half honest with himself, he'd been pushing him to walk that oh-so-thin line since the beginning. Rumplestiltskin had proven in Storybrooke that he could be both Dark One and… well, he would never be a hero, but he had proven he didn't have to be a villain either. He could be his Papa. They were all they had right now. "Not with you," he promised after a moment.

"I hate to break up this touching moment," Regina growled, sounding very much like she didn't care at all as she held her head between her hands. Her black clothing was covered in dirt and grass, but a single shallow gash along her temple was the only sign that she had been hit with as powerful of a spell as she had. Robin stood to her side, ready to steady her if the need arose.

"Go on," Snow urged, but not to Regina. Her voice was tense and carefully controlled. It was Milah that stepped up, having obviously said something to the others as Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire spoke.

All eyes turned on her now and she stood, the center of attention, and gave an apologetic look to her son. "Bae, I'm so sorry… I didn't know who they were until the caves and at that point the Witch had control over me."

"Know what?" Baelfire demanded, his voice taught.

"Yeah, by the way, might be worth mentioning that the Witch had Milah charmed until your father broke that," Killian offered to the side.

"The whole reason the Witch has come to this world is to collect power. She's sucked it dry for anyone that has enough for her to do so. One that she spoke of… She said was a sorceress, or at least _would_ be, and she wanted to control her before she came into her own powers."

"Stop beating around the bush, Mom. Spit it out."

"The girl… I saw her face. It was the same one you saw with your son in the caves. She said she was Snow White and Charming's daughter."

"Can you open the portal?" Snow asked, eyes finding Rumplestiltskin's and not wavering at the reverted colour. "We can't delay in warning Emma. If that woman finds her and she has no memories of us…"

The Dark One studied her for a moment as if weighing his options. Slowly he pulled in a deep breath and when he spoke his voice was steady, eyes shifting to his son as he spoke. "I can, but I can't go after her. I must save Belle."

"Right. Let's stop wasting time then. We have people that need saving," Bae said with a nod.

* * *

It was like landing in nothingness. A fortress of deep, dark nothing that surrounded her everywhere she looked. She was sure that was her imagination getting the better of her. Rumple would tease her. She could almost hear his sing-song-y voice from the days in the Dark Castle, playfully telling her just that. As she looked out into the inky darkness, she could almost see it, like a ghost of an image, playing out amidst the deep shadows. She was fussing at him as he held her book just out of her reach, amber eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Happier times, were they?" a voice nearly purred in her ear and Belle just managed not to jump.

"They're happy when we're together," she answered tensely, watching the illusion fade.

"Hmm. Such a pure soul are you. It's a wonder you love someone like the Dark One."

"There's more good in him than you know."

"Didn't look like that when we left," the Witch answered flippantly. "Looked back to his old ways if you ask me."

"I didn't," Belle snapped, lifting her chin a little higher. She was trying to get into her head and she wouldn't allow it. She wouldn't allow this witch to put doubts into her mind. She'd known what she'd seen when they were pulled away. Rumple had let his anger and his rage take a firm grip on him, but that didn't mean he couldn't release it back again. She had faith in him, in the good man that he could be and always was buried deep below the layers of pain and anger and loneliness. He just needed something to fight for, and for someone to fight for him.

"You think he'll come for you?"

"He will."

"And what makes you so sure?"

"True Love."

The Witch sneered. "How quaint."

"It's the most powerful magic in the worlds," Belle said firmly.

"Not quite. Would you like to know what's more powerful than your precious True Love?" She quirked an eyebrow and when her captive only glared she smiled. "Human greed. Your Rumplestiltskin may love you - I'm betting on that actually - but what I'm placing an even higher wage on is his own nature. He has a deep need for power, and that curse of his does provide a rather deep reservoir for it. Oh, he'll come, Belle. He'll come and we'll fight. He'll even think he has a chance to win, but in the end I will take his powers and add them to my own."

The colour drained from Belle's face. "You don't want his dagger to control him. You want to kill him."

The smile broadened. "Why use the power when I can wield it?"

* * *

Baelfire paused outside of the door that led to his father's workspace. It had changed over the years, the place that he hid himself away to work, having been a tiny little hut when he was very young, with no door and an even smaller place to keep a fire for the cold months. Once his mother had left, his father's work space had become their home. He'd said it was because he didn't like leaving such a young lad on his own during the day, but Bae knew better as he looked back. He couldn't have afforded a separately place to spin. Now, though, the place that he worked was an entire tower, spiraling up towards the sky.

Rumplestiltskin had magicked them directly into his Dark Castle, muttering something about everything he needed being there and that Regina knew where anything she could use to deal with her growing migraine was. That had been three hours before and the fact that his father had put his rescue mission for Belle on hold that long set the guilt in deep. There was no helping it, though, and it was because of that that he hoped Emma would understand his own decision. When she remembered them and everything that happened, that is.

He pushed open the door, climbing the steps. "Pop?"

"Not done yet," came the agitated reply from the top. He was bent over something that smoked dangerously, the vapors pouring out of the flask and tumbling off the table towards the floor where they gathered there as if it had been fuming for quite a while. There had been no darkening of the eyes, no greying of his hair since they'd come back, but his voice remained mostly his father's, just as it had when he'd first taken the curse on. It perked up at the end of sentences, reaching hirer with irritation, but he was focused and not prone to the completely wild outbursts that he'd shown when Belle had been taken. He'd changed clothes sometime since they'd come, donning something more akin to what Bae thought he was comfortable with. The leather pants and vest over silk shirt made him look younger in a way, but perhaps that was just the knowledge that with his name fully back on the dagger that he was all but immortal again.

"I know," Bae said as he came to stand next to him, watching carefully, but standing out of the way. "Can I help?"

Rumplestiltskin dropped a spoonful of what looked like the crushed plants into the mixture and a tall cloud of smoke exploded from it, looking a bit like a mushroom cloud. "No. It has to sit now."

"How long?"

A strained smile pulled at thin lips. "Two more hours and you and the others may go after Emma and Henry. I'm sorry that I can't be there with you."

"I get it, Pop, and that's what I'm here to talk to you about." At his father's questioning look he pulled a chair over and took a seat in it, leaning forward and steepling his fingers under his nose. He watched Rumplestiltskin's boots for a moment, studying the scuff marks and the small worn spot that had already begun to form on his right boot from where he'd dragged his foot most of the trip. He stood steady now, evenly. "I'm going with you."

"Bae-"

"No, it's already set up. Everything's been decided. Mary Margaret and David are going back to their castle. Regina and Robin are going with them - they'll take his Merry Men and his little boy since they're already here - and they've got to get ready for what might happen. Unless we're able to kill the Witch by some miracle, she'll come after us once we have Belle, and if she's after Emma too… They have to get ready for a war."

"And who will go after Emma and Henry?"

Baelfire loosed a long breath through his nose. "Hook."

"Bae! Have you gone mad, son?"

"No… I've thought it through. Listen, Papa, I can't let you go alone. I won't let you go alone."

"I can handle this."

"Yeah, but what will you lose in the process?"

The waiting arguement died on Rumplestiltskin's lips and he snapped his mouth closed again.

"So you and I go after Belle, Hook brings Emma and Henry home, and the Charmings prepare for war. This is how this is going to be." He paused, as if waiting for the argument he knew as coming. "It's the captain's ship anyway. He'll bring them home safe."

"Alright."

"Alright?"

"I said so, didn't I? It's as you wish it, Bae."

"Okay." Baelfire stood, his entire posture screaming of the uncomfortable moment, as if it had been far too easy of a victory between two incredibly stubborn individuals. His father watched him, not giving any thought away. Finally, the younger man reached into his jacket pocket and pulled the wrapped dagger out. "I haven't been fair to you, Papa. I asked you to walk a line that no person could. I'm sorry."

Rumplestiltskin's expression softened and he reached a hand out to take his son's free one. "It's not your fault, Bae."

"Yeah it is, but we can't change that now. All I can do… All I can do is ask you to be the man that saved Henry's life."

"I can do that."

Bae pressed the dagger into his hand. "I know. I trust you."

* * *

The sense of urgency was palatable even as Rumplestiltskin explained for the third time exactly how much time Regina needed to wait until the potion was done brewing. He'd done everything he could to speed to process along, but some thing simply took time.

"I get it. Don't rush it or it won't work," the former Evil Queen snapped.

"And all the ingredients will become useless, including the mermaid scale," Rumple stressed. "It will solidify exactly when I said that it would and in that moment - not the next, or the one after that - you need to pull it from the flask. Don't let it steep any longer. It will open the portal when tossed out like a bean." Amber eyes shifted to Hook. "I trust you can manage this simple task without getting Miss Swan or my grandson killed?"

Hook didn't bat an eye at the irritable baiting. "I'll lay my life down for theirs if it comes to that."

"We're supplying him with a new crew," David explained. "He won't be going alone. Should we send anyone with the two of you?"

"No, the fewer going the better," Rumplestiltskin answered. "We'll slip in and slip out."

"I'm going too."

All eyes turned to where Milah stood, mostly forgotten in the rush of everything, with one hand on her hip. Rumplestiltskin shook his head. "No. I don't trust you, dearie. I won't be able to watch our backs from two fronts."

"We had a deal, Rumple. Bae was your price. I don't care how powerful you are, if you're distracted by saving Belle you can't watch our son's back. Someone will need to. Take it as the fulfillment of our deal."

Baelfire watched his parents carefully as they studied each other, weighing options and allegiances. He knew his father's answer before he spoke it in the subtle sagging of his shoulders. He didn't have time to argue. "Very well then, but know that if you even look like you're going to be trouble that I will kill you and not think twice of it."

"I understand."

"Milah, love," Hook started in and she shook her head.

"You volunteered awful quickly to go after those two," she murmured. She shushed him as he began to argue. "It's only been what? Three hundred years or so? Go to her, get Bae's son back, and then… Well, if you want to, you'll find me, won't you?"

He gave a nod and she let her hand linger on his face briefly. "Well? They may be stuck here waiting for a magic potion, but we're not. You boys ready?"

Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire exchanged an uneasy look. "Awful accommodating to him," her ex-husband murmured lowly, distrustfully.

"I don't expect that I will ever see him again," she admitted in equal tones as his magic whisked them away.

* * *

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

Notes: Super short chapter this time. Sorry guys!

**Chapter Nineteen.**

* * *

He had lived for over three centuries and more of those years had been spent as the Dark One than had not. It had become an easy habit - a crutch - to rely on his magic and he carefully admitted that to precious few. He'd pulled his magic from the darkest of sources and delegated the cost to others for so long that he hardly thought about it anymore. It was subconscious on a level, easy and painless. He could turn the worlds on its head for his own purpose and spread the cost of his plans out so that no one was the wiser. It had been with him so long that he didn't know to be anything but comfortable in it.

Now, though, he felt the evil weighing against his soul and it ached. He hadn't felt that in a _very_ long time. It wanted him. Wanted him in full. It had been patient and now it wanted payment for the lent power without the cost. He had let it back in and it wasn't going to let go this time. There was no releasing it when this was over. The Curse made that very clear to him. That was his price to save Belle. That was his price to save his family.

"Papa?"

They'd landed suddenly, hitting a wall of magic more powerful than Rumplestiltskin had expected and it had left him disorganized and off-balanced. His son's voice was an anchor against the raging darkness and he felt his hand on his shoulder to physically steady him. "I'm with you," came the taught reply.

The hand there squeezed and amber eyes blinked to bring everything out of its blurred state. It was pitch-black around them, almost like a void, yet somehow they could see each other as long as they were close enough. Nothing moved and nothing _was_. It was the most bizarre state of nothingness that he had ever witnessed, but in his experience, there was always something. Illusions were just that and he could recognize one easily enough.

"Where did you land us?" Milah demanded, gun in hand and ready for anything to jump out of the shadows.

"Where we needed to go," the Dark One answered testily and felt his son give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before releasing him. _Focus_.

"Then where's Belle?"

Amber eyes flashed in the darkness and Milah flinched back. "If you'd _shut up_ for half a moment, dearie, perhaps I could find her."

Baelfire watched as his father took an irritable step forward, reaching out with his magic to search. His eyes lulled and he relaxed into it, reaching out for any signs within the nothing.

"You've put us directly into a trap, Rumple," Milah groused, holstering her weapon. "Well done. You-" Her words were cut off as a particularly nasty gust of wind hit her, throwing her onto her back. She would have yelped, but her jaw was frozen in place.

"Quiet now, dearie."

Everything was tucked in and around itself, folding in and wrapping around. It was dense, this nothing, and solid so that he couldn't find a crack. Rumplestiltskin knew there was a crack, though. There always was. He shifted his magic around, working it to every non-corner and into every non-crevice until it found it. He could feel the Curse pulling at him, as if reminding him that it was its own dark power that he was using to save his True Love and not to let himself get carried away once they had her.

_You're mine._

_I know._

The magic worked into the crack, widening it and pulling it open. The entire area shifted and groaned in its effort to keep the heavy illusion in place, but with a flick of his fingers Rumplestiltskin pulled it down around them. It shattered, like black glass falling down around them to reveal the door behind it and the stones of the fortress surrounding it. Rumple shot Milah a look and released her from the silencing spell with an unpleasant smile. "Don't take that as an invitation to talk, dearie, or we can make it more permanent." He turned his eyes to his son and his tone softened considerably. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Let's save Belle."

* * *

Between the migraine brought on by the Witch's spell, the quick flight from the Dark Castle to Snow White's, and the flurry of motion that happened upon arrival to get Hook off for Emma and Henry, Regina had barely had time - or even the ability - to breathe. She'd watched Rumplestiltskin's potion solidify just as he'd said and taken the finished product out at just the right time. The scale shined, showing the magic that it held and she had wrapped it very carefully up and hadn't been willing to let any other hand touch it. With Robin's men and his son gathered, they all were quickly whisked away to the castle.

This was her first moment alone since then. Snow White and Charming had set Hook off on his journey - though the former queen had had a few words with him before he left over the safety of her son - and she had taken a moment to rub at her temples and try a few spells of her own to push back the rising pain. That was probably why she didn't notice the tiny footsteps, or even the presence until one little hand wrapped around her long coat to tug on it. She found Roland looking up at her and she knew he got that grin from his father.

While the stress itself didn't entirely melt away, Regina's features softened and she offered a smile. "Hello there," she greeted.

"Hi. My papa thinks you're pretty."

The smile faltered and she found herself just blinking at him, expression completely blank. "Did he tell you to say that?"

"No, but I'm smart. I can tell."

Five. Robin had said he was five. Precocious little thing.

He was still grinning from ear to ear, big brown eyes looking up at her, but if he was going to divulge any more of his father's secrets, the man in question stopped it by rounding the corner, looking a little more than flustered. He made straight for the boy, scooping him up in his arms and hugging him tightly. "Don't wander off," he murmured as the boy wrapped his arms around his father's neck.

"Sorry," Roland said innocently.

Blue eyes shifted to where Regina was standing and the outlaw seemed to put something together. "Were you looking for Regina?"

"Yep."

"He found me," the former queen said with a quirked eyebrow.

Robin looked increasingly worried. "That he did. Did you two have a nice chat?"

"I told her that you thought she was pretty. Tell her, Papa!" Roland laughed.

The worried look only deepened and Regina thought she might have even seen a bit of red tinge his cheeks. "Well…" He set the boy down and ruffled his hair. "There's a very nice fairy just down the hall. Why don't you go and say hello? Don't wander anywhere else, do you here?"

"Yes, Papa," the boy answered with a grin and was gone.

Robin rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and Regina offered him a smile that was never meant to put him at ease. "I didn't put him up to that."

"I haven't known you long, Robin, but I think it's a safe bet that you wouldn't use your child to win a lady's affections."

"I was hoping to win them once your son had been returned," Robin admitted softly, ducking his head a bit. "I know… I know what it's like to be separated from your child. There's no time or room to think of anything else."

Regina stepped forward, dark eyes catching blue and she reached a hand to his cheek, pressing a brief kiss to his lips. "I look forward to it."

* * *

"That little imp."

Belle felt a smile pull at her lips and she glanced at the Witch out of the corner of her eye, ever quite turning to look at her. Rumple and the others had found her. Time was distorted here, so she couldn't be sure if it had been hours or days since she'd been taken, but she could see in the same stretch space that the Witch was looking that Rumplestiltskin, Baelfire, and, surprisingly enough, Milah had come for her. Leave it to her Rumple to break through the first layers and make it into the fortress.

"You won't win."

A cruel smile stretched across painted lips. "I wouldn't be so sure. Remember what I said about the most powerful magic. Rumplestiltskin's trying to work against his own greed to save you. That curse of his doesn't want you in his life. You're a risk, m'dear. A liability to its existence."

"We've made it work before."

"Yes, in the Land Without Magic. So I've heard. Things are different here, in case you haven't noticed."

"We will never stop fighting for each other."

The Witch had a hold of her now, suddenly next to her without any real warning. Her green hand was wrapped around Belle's slender throat and she squeezed until she received the barest of reactions. To her credit, the younger woman did not waver. Her clear blue eyes glared steadily until the grip loosened. The smile returned, though strained. "I'm going to kill him, little one. I hope you'll enjoy the show."

People had a tendency to underestimate her, and it was that fact that she took advantage of then. Belle grabbed for a small dagger that she'd had hidden away, the Witch the closest she'd been since she'd dropped them into the illusion-thick room, and managed to draw a line of blood before she moved. As quickly as she'd pulled it, the Witch had hold of her wrist, wrenching it painfully back until she dropped the blade. "Nice try," she purred into her ear, "but I just don't think you have it in you to take a life."

"He won't die. I won't let him."

"Such a lovely sentiment. Too bad it will get you nowhere." She gave another rough tug of her wrist, revelling in the small sound the younger woman made. "All it gets you is a front row seat."

* * *

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty.**

* * *

Rumplestiltskin let out a frustrated sound as they hit yet another dead end. If he had thought that they'd simply march in after bypassing the first set of defenses, he'd been terribly wrong. Illusions were cast out like candy at Halloween, with sprinkles of flying monkeys and moving armour that had manage to catch them by surprise the first time.

Now, possibly hours after entering the fortress, Baelfire was frustrated, Milah was out of bullets for her gun, and Rumple was about ready to obliterate the next source of irritation.

A sound that might have been a growl came from him and he loosed a magical attack on what appeared to be a sturdy brick wall, taking it down to mere pieces. He jolted as a hand came down on his shoulder, tense and ready, but eased up nearly as quickly as his son's voice filtered into his ears. "Easy, Papa, or we'll have the ceiling in on us."

Rumplestiltskin pulled in a shaky breath that was meant to steady him. It did little good. They'd been wandering through this maze for far too long now. She might be clever, but so was he. His cleverness and his panic were waging war within him though, making it difficult to think or plan.

"Is your Sight back?" Bae asked hesitently.

His father sighed. He'd thought about that, but somehow distance from the ability had made him wary to wade back into its depths. It, like all magic, always came with a price. He needed time to sort through the puzzle pieces, but even then he couldn't be entirely sure he had them all. Often when he'd used it in the past it had allowed him time to plan, to sort, but to reach into the future and immediately act on it was begging for misunderstood visions.

_I know that the future is not always what it seems._

Baelfire had always been intuitive, and his dark eyes filled with understanding at least on some level. "We'll find another way."

Milah shifted in her place, as if weighing her words before she spoke them. "Listen, I don't know whatever silent conversation seems to have just happened - obviously Bae understands this better than I do - but if it can help us find Belle I don't see how that doesn't outweigh the negatives." She instantly threw her hands up in mock surrender as her ex-husband turned his amber gaze in her. "Just a thought."

The Dark One let out another frustrated sound, but some form of acceptance of her logic might have been buried in the sound. "This may take a moment," he warned.

"I've got your back, Pop," Bae promised.

Rumplestiltskin nodded, steadying himself. It was never comfortable, no matter if he purposely reached into the future of if it leapt out to him. It sent a chill through him, this power he'd taken from yet another desperate soul. He let his eyes slip closed, taking in a deep breath and he felt the pull that always accompanied it. It was different, somehow, than the pull that accompanied physical relocation.

The images blurred around him, making his head spin and the floor beneath him sway. He felt a steadiness then, and somewhere deep in his mind he knew Bae had kept him from tipping over. Without having to battle the vertigo he reached out for the pieces, pulling at them in the method he'd found worked best. They snapped together, apart, rearranged, and came together again. It was difficult to pinpoint how he could actually tell the correct order, but it was a feeling that tugged deeply at him. Perhaps that's why some of the predictions, while technically right, were so muddled.

Some weren't though. It helped when he knew specifically what he was looking for.

There. A pathway of tunnels, the illusions, the traps, and at the end:Belle and the Witch.

Then there was an onslaught of images. Magic flew, blood flowed and there was an overwhelming sense if dread that settled deep into his chest. The world shifted around and he couldn't help but smile when he saw Baelfire pulling his son into his arms - when Henry had grown enough for that to be difficult, his paternal grandfather didn't want to think about - and they were safe. Bae and Belle would be safe. That was what he needed to know.

He blinked, current moment replacing visions and he felt Baelfire's grip tighten on his arm. He offered his son a nod. "This way," he said roughly and they started in the opposite direction than they'd been going.

* * *

There were few things Snow White disliked more than to be stuck waiting. It had been non-stop since leaving after the plants, one problem piling onto the next. Once they'd returned she and David had immediately set to raising an army. With as many royals as often came in and out of their counsel, response wasn't really in question. It was understood between them that if they needed help from the Charmings, they had it, and if the Charmings needed theirs it would be available. Requests had been sent and Hook was on his way to fetch Emma and Henry. All Snow could do in that moment was wait.

She heard the door behind her open and Blue stood there, her expression serious. "Snow, we should speak."

The queen nodded. "Please," she offered politely to the fairy but she shook her head.

"This should be brief. I am not without a role in all of this. We fairies have fought with you before. We shall do so again."

"You know you're always welcome to speak your mind, Blue."

"We all saw what happened when Belle was taken. There can be no further denying that Rumplestilrskin has fully embraced the Dark One's curse again."

"To save his True Love."

"The reason does not matter."

Snow felt her chest clench. Of course it mattered. She would move heaven and earth to save David, and he for her. Rumplestiltskin had chosen to reclaim his full powers in order to save Belle was his way of fighting for her. That was _entirely_ different than if he had simply chosen to take them back for his own gain.

After a moment she straightened a bit and looked the fairy directly in the eyes. "It matters. What are you getting at?"

"He can't be trusted, Snow. You know this." She paused, assessing. "You knew it once, when you and your prince locked him away. When he was willing to manipulate poor Princess Ella to his own means. The right decision for the kingdoms then is the right descision now: lock him away."

"He's helped us! Without his knowledge on the plants we never would have been able to reach Emma."

"You still haven't."

"Hook _will_ bring her back."

"And you may express your gratitude to Rumplestiltskin with bars between you. Snow, you are a queen now. You must think of the good of all. He is unpredictable. He may help you in this and side with another on his whim. You and I both know he played you and Regina against each other for years. He will continue to play his game until he is stopped."

"He has something to steady his dark impulses now," Snow argued. "And, Blue, I know you don't trust him and I know that you both have a past, but my conscious cannot stand to lock him up after all he's done to help us. Not just since he came back, but in Neverland and Storybrooke as well. I believe he'll continue to help us." She watched the fairy begin to argue and she held up her hand. "I'm not calling him a hero, Blue. Far from it, but even you have to admit there's something different now."

"And if you're wrong? There's a long history of -"

"He's Henry's grandfather. He's family. Let's let it play out. For Henry, if no one else. He _deserves_ all the family he can have. Including Rumplestiltskin."

"I'm not going to sway you on this, am I?"

"No," Snow answered softly.

"Very well then. Forgive me, Snow, but I don't see what further help the fairies can be in this situation."

The queen felt the blood drain from her face. "You're abandoning us?"

"First Regina and now Rumplestiltskin. I'm afraid we cannot ne aligned with such darkness."

"They've changed."

"So you say. I hope you're right, for your sake. For your kingdom's." She shrank, wings appearing and she fluttered into the air. "My best wishes to you, Snow White."

As Snow watched her leave through the open window she couldn't quite bring herself to find the fairy's words truthful.

The door burst open suddenly and an out-of-breath Grumpy met her. "The _Jolly Roger_ is at the dock!"

* * *

Once they had a direction to go it was a much quicker trip. They met resistance, certainly, but Rumplestiltskin blew through it with a renewed vigor. The wound around the dark hallways, battling monkeys and walls and inanimated objects alike until they reached a door that the Dark One recognized. Anger burned deeply, coupled with a surging need for revenge. On the other side was the woman that had taken Belle.

"You ready?" Bae asked quietly.

Milah gave a brief mod and a dark smile stretched Rumple's thin lips. "Oh yeah," he answered, power gathering around him.

Rumplestiltskin was a showman, so it was no surprise when the door was literally blown from its hinges and cartwheeled into the room before coming to rest against the floor with a loud crashing sound to accompany it. When the sound had finished its bounce from one side of the room to the other, they were left with silence. Baelfire and Milah stood just behind Rumple and to either side, watching for any tiny signal he might give. The Witch was in the middle of the room, holding a particularly nasty looking knife to a very angry Belle's neck. Blue eyes held all the defiance in the worlds, and when she saw her Rumestiltskin burst through, the smile that touched her lips told of her unwavering faith that he'd come.

"One chance," the Dark One offered, amber gaze fixated on the Witch.

"Why would I surrender when I just got what I wanted?"

Magic exploded in the room, sending both Bae and Milah flying in either direction. The fact that Rumplestiltskin still stood against the attack, only a very small line if blood against his left cheekbone the only sign he'd been hit by it at all, seemed to please the Witch and her smile grew as she shoved Belle out of the way. A flick of her wrist had all three of the Dark One's companions firmly tied to the wall, their wrists bound by the stones themselves.

"It was always just going to be us," she almost purred. "Everything else is just a distraction."

There was a burst of power between, magic leaping out and up, bouncing off the walls and, surprisingly, even through quickly thrown up shields. Rumple felt the bite of her magic, like many thin knives, but it was hardly a worry to him. They healed almost as quickly as the opened up, leaving him whole but rather vicious looking with splatters of blood all across his fine leathers. They didn't come in close, exchanging blows at a distance at first and causing the onlookers to cringe at it.

"I knew you'd be a challenge, Dark One. That's one reason I came for you. That, and all that power really is hard to turn down. I'm so glad that you finally accepted what you are. Shame that you'll have to give it up again so quickly."

"Who said anything about giving it up?" Rumple asked with a particularly dark grin. "I rather like it, and I've never been the gift giving sort. Everything comes with a price, though, dearie." He launched another attack at her, the dark magic slamming her hard into the far wall. "And it looks like it's time for you to pay it."

Her laugh, almost a cackle, echoed through the room. "Thank you."

His smile didn't falter. "For killing you? You're quite welcome."

"No," she answered and vanished. Rumplestiltskin stared at the empty spot where his magic should have held her, but she appeared again just in front of him, the sudden blow powerful enough to stagger him. His magic began to knit him back together instantly, but it was just a brief enough time for her to reach forward, pealing back his vest to take the dagger from the inner pocket. She smiled at the utter panic in his eyes as he realized what the misstep had cost. "For tipping your hand."

* * *

Happy. She didn't think she remembered the feeling, not for any length. Oh, there were spots of time, glimmers, but nothing like she had imagined it would be when she'd cast the Dark Curse. Nothing like this. Nothing like knowing she was about to see her son. Maybe doing the right thing could bring her happiness after all.

"Are you nervous?"

Regina looked to see her step-daughter lingering at the door.

"Because I am. I'm so nervous," Snow continued, taking the elder woman's silence as permission to enter. "I just keep thinking what happens if he couldn't find them? Or what if he couldn't jog their memories. Worse: what if they're angry at us for it all?"

The former Evil Queen sighed. "I suppose we'll see."

"It's just-"

"What has you so wound up anyway? You should be elated. You get to see your daughter."

Snow pushed out a long breath through her nose and Regina readied herself. She didn't know if was intentional or if perhaps it was some subconscious effort on the young queen's part to fix whatever bond might have been, but since returning to the Enchanted a Forest she'd sought her out like this from time to time. It was a wild roller coaster of mistrust and bonding.

"Blue pulled her help."

"What? Why?"

"She seems to think I'm putting my trust in the wrong people. She wanted me to betray Rumplestiltskin when he gets back. To lock him up, even when he's helped us. She... She said between you and him, she couldn't fight with us against the Witch."

"And... You...?"

Snow flushed. "Of course not! No matter what has happened in the past, both of you have been invaluable. For once... For once I can really trust that you've changed, Regina. I know it's for Henry...I know I don't always show it, but I'm happy to have you here."

"Really?"

"Really."

A smile perked the edges of the former queen's lips. "Well don't expect a tearful embrace or anything."

Snow grinned broadly. "Never."

"Mom! Grandma Snow!"

Both women looked over to where Henry was racing down the corridor, a smile bigger than his grandmother's plastered across his face. Emma, Hook, and Charming followed in behind and the dark haired boy launched himself into his adopted mother's arms.

Regina felt tears sting her eyes, but she didn't care. She had her arms wrapped around Henry so tight that she might have never let go. "I've missed you so much," she managed to whisper into his hair.

"I missed you too."

She laughed at his words, finally pulling back to wipe at her tears. "Sweetie, you didn't even remember me. I did that for you, so you _wouldn't_ miss us."

"I think I always knew though, really deep down. I missed you, Mom, even if I didn't know who I was missing."

"Emma."

Regina glanced over to see mother and daughter embrace, tears streaming down Snow's cheeks and her blonde daughter holding on right. When Emma looked her way she offered her a smile. "Good to have you back, Miss Swann."

"Surprisingly enough, good to be back. The castle looks much better this time."

"Where's my dad?" Henry asked. "Didn't he come back too?"

Regina's brows knit. "He went with Mr Gold to save Belle. An evil Witch took her."

"Don't worry, they'll be back soon," David promised.

"I don't mean to be the one to point out something to ruin the happy moment, but that looks particularly ominous," Hook murmured, motioning to the distance where dark purple clouds had begun to form.

"What _is_ that?" Emma asked.

Regina went pale. She'd been so fixated on getting Henry back, so driven to it, that she hadn't even considered it. "The thing I love most," she whispered. "The curse is reversing."

"Wait, the one you ripped up?" Emma demanded.

"Does that mean we're going back to Storybrooke?" Henry asked.

"Yes," his adopted mother whispered. "Yes and yes."

"But what does that _mean_?" Snow managed. "Pan's curse or your first one? Will we know who we are?"

"I don't know," Regina admitted softly.

Emma tore her eyes away from the building curse. "Who would?"

"The man that created it in the first place: Rumplestiltskin."

* * *

Rumplestiltskin stood rigid, amber eyes fixated on the dagger held in one thin, green hand. She was smiling at him, the blade held too close to his neck for comfort. He could feel it, like strings wrapped around him. He was a marionette and she held the cords.

"This _is_ interesting," she murmured into his ear. "How far does this go?"

"Fair warning, dearie: when I get out of this, you'll be dead. How quickly I kill you depends on what you do here and now."

Her eyes flickered to meet his. "Aren't you precious? You think I have any want to keep you as a pet? You _are_ clever and you _are_ dangerous. I know enough about you to know that. No, darling, I have no real desire to pit you against those you love."

"_Papa_!" he heard Baelfire scream at the same time that his name left Belle's lips. The Witch had moved so quickly that he'd barely had time to register what her words meant. Even with enough time, there was nothing that he could do about it. He was frozen in place, only his wit and his voice as protection against it, but the blade bit deep and pain blossomed. The knife was deep in his chest and he felt everything sway around him. It was stopping most of the blood right now, but one twitch to the side would open the wound up, or worse, if she pulled it out he'd be dead quicker than he could think his way out of this. There had to be a way, he just had to find it.

_Think_.

_You should have left her._

_Not helpful. Shut up._

_You could have had power. You could have had it all._

Rumplestiltskin gave a mental sigh against the ever-present dark voice. _But all I wanted was them, so if you can't give me that, what good are you?_

The ground rolled beneath him and he felt his knees give way. She sank down with him, unwilling to let go of the hilt until he'd given the power up to her. It was hard to breathe now, hard to focus, but he had to. He had to hold on. The floor shuddered again and this time he realized it wasn't just him.

"What the hell is going on?" the Witch demanded and Rumple gave a short, pained laugh.

"Henry," he managed, the name accompanied by a wet cough.

"Who is Henry?"

"A very… special little boy," the Dark One managed. "And the reason you've lost."

"This is… The Dark Curse…"

"In a way."

"What do you know?" She gave him a rough shake and he gasped, coughing and sputtering against the blood rising in his throat. "Tell me!"

"We're all going on a trip," he chuckled after a moment. "You too, if you wait any longer."

One look out the nearest window told her it was true. The purple cloud was hovering just outside, wrapping its way in. "Bastard," she hissed, pulling the knife from him and disappearing in a whirl of green smoke.

Rumplestiltskin felt the world pulse around him as he tried to drag in enough air to stay conscious. He'd gone mostly numb at this point with brief bursts of pain jarring him. His eyes had nearly lulled closed when he felt hands against his face, another set pushed down - hard - against the wound in his chest and he thought he might cry out, but the sound left him much quieter than he expected.

"Easy, Papa," Bae murmured. "Don't talk. Don't move."

Dark eyes found dark and he reached a hand up to him, but it was Belle that caught it, kissing his fingers. "Don't you dare leave me."

The smoke was flowing in through the windows now, curling around and breaking through where it met resistance. "We're all going," he managed, squeezing her hand as another wave of pain hit. "Henry… must have found Regina."

"She had to give him up," Belle murmured, realizing what he meant. "It's reversing everything."

"It'll be okay. We'll get you to the hospital, Pop, soon as we get there." His voice was strained, as if trying to convince himself. He took his father's free hand and clung hard. "Remember that dream? Henry playing? That's home, right? We can have that. Just… Just hang on, Papa."

"It's here," Milah said in barely a whisper.

"Love you both," he managed to whisper and tightened his grip on the two people he cared about most in the worlds as the smoke poured in and surrounded them and all he could feel was slipping away.

* * *

TBC


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-one.**

* * *

Her phone was buzzing. That was the first thing that Belle realized. Her sleepy mind tried to process who would be calling at an hour that it would wake her up, but the numbers that were scrawled across the caller ID did nothing to solve the mystery. With a yawn she connected to the call. "Hello?"

"Where are you?"

The fog cleared with Baelfire's voice in her ear and she looked around. Everything was neat and tidy, books stacked together where they'd overflowed the shelves, a small mirror on the dresser - a gift, she vaguely remembered - and she was lying on a familiar bed. "I'm in my apartment, above the library."

"Get down here. Where were you all transported the first time? Did you just wake up? How does this work?"

Bae sounded panicked, and as Belle's mind cleared a little more she remembered why. Rumple. Rumple was hurt. She was scurrying towards the door in an instant, hopping as she pulled one shoe on and balanced the phone to her ear in the other hand. "I don't remember. It was all such a blur."

"I'll check his shop, you check his house."

"Right." She took the steps two at a time, landing hard at the bottom and bursting through the door. The sun was bright overhead and they were very much in Storybrooke again. People wandered around, dazed by the sudden drop off back in Maine, but she pushed right past them, mumbling apologies and excuses.

"Belle!"

"Not now, Archie!" she called back as she sprinted past the man-turned-cricket-turned man. All she could think of was how pale he'd gone, his eyes so human and so full of pain as the curse left him, beginning to fade away with his life. She'd taken the knife with her, that terrible woman, but she'd be damned if she'd taken Rumple with her. Belle had made a promise: Rumplestiltskin would live. She didn't count herself a liar just yet.

She shouted an apology back to a startled Ruby and Granny as she nearly took them off their feet, aiming for the three story pink house. She hit the door, expecting it to open and nearly fell back when it didn't. It was locked up tight, as if no one had been in it in some time, and she started screaming his name, pounding her fist against the door. She didn't have her key. He'd given her one, she remembered, but there was no telling where it was now. Everything had been destroyed and put back in place again.

"Belle!"

She whirled around at her name, watching Henry pile off his bike, letting it fall to the ground in his haste. He held out a set of oddly shaped keys. "Mom says one of these will work!"

It took Belle a moment that by mom he meant Regina and the smallest of smiles couldn't be kept when she thought of how angry Rumple would be after all this. He'd be sitting at his desk or poking around in the basement as if nothing had happened. It would be just like him to pick up wherever he'd left off. Certainly something was left undone around here and that's why he hadn't answered her frantic calls yet. Of course.

"Mom and Dad went to the shop. They're going to call if they find him, but come on!" Henry pushed, shoving the clanking keys into her hands.

"Right, of course." She fumbled with them, trying one and then the other. "They're not working, Henry."

"Let me see." He took them back and let them all drop back down so that they couldn't tell one from the other. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and she almost thought he knew what he was doing when he picked on and shoved it into the lock. It clicked open and he and Belle were through the door in an instant.

"Rumple?" she called into the dark home. Things were in perfect order - or disorder, but that wasn't abnormal - and she felt her breath catching with every step towards his bedroom.

"Should I check upstairs?"

"No, he doesn't… He only goes up there if I'm here," she managed. For such a large house he'd really spent very little time in it until she'd come along.

Belle ducked back into the room he'd be in if he were there. The door was closed, but opened easily enough, and she felt her heart stop.

"Is he there?" Henry called, busting in behind her and she told herself that she needed to keep him out, needed to keep him from seeing, but she didn't have time. Instead she was crossing the space, hands going to his too-pale face and checking for a pulse.

His grandson stood at the opening, dark eyes wide."Belle, is he…?" The boy's voice shook as he tried to ask the question and he didn't dare walk in any further.

"Call your dad," she managed, stroking back grey-streaked hair. "He's breathing, but just barely. We need to get him to the hospital."

She tossed him her phone and she heard him step out of the room, speaking lowly that they needed to hurry. He didn't know, he said, but they needed to hurry.

"Rumple," Belle cried softly. He was so still, so silent in the bed. If she hadn't seen him just before they'd been pulled from their home she might have thought he was simply ill, sleeping it off late into the morning and ignoring the world. "You can't leave me, Rumple," she murmured softly. "Please… This can't be the end of it. You have to fight. Please, Rumple, for me. Fight for me."

If he heard her, he couldn't respond. She would have taken anything, really, but he had nothing to give.

"Did someone hurt him?"

Belle looked over to Henry who was hovering close to the door, his eyes fixed on his grandpa. "Yes."

"When Mom first brought everyone over - Regina, I mean - Gramps was hurt. He was stabbed trying to save my mom - Emma- from my… Well, my other mom's knights." The young teen gave a humourless laugh at the convoluted story. "Anyway, when he was brought over, he was like that… Wouldn't move and wouldn't wake up. He was in the hospital as a coma patient."

"How did they wake him up?"

"Grandma Snow kissed him. She didn't know who she was or who he was then, but deep down she knew and she kissed him. He woke up."

"True Love's kiss," Belle murmured.

"It's worth a shot."

She nodded. "Yes it is," she whispered and leaned over him. She could feel Henry's eyes on her, waiting to see if it would work. Belle had never been so afraid in her life. If it didn't work, would he simply slip away? Was this just his body following his soul that had already let go of the curse and washed away with it? Pushing past it, she leaned over and pressed her lips against his.

Seconds, minutes, or hours wouldn't have mattered as her kiss became more desperate, tears streaming down her face and falling onto his. He lay completely still and she felt a sob shake her as she broke. "Please don't go, Rumple. I love you so much." Once more she kissed him, but this time there was a change, an outward push of power that started with them and reached out to all parts of the town. He sucked in a sharp breath and dark eyes opened, blinking and focusing on her and another sob escaped her. "Hi."

"Hey," he rasped.

"You're alive."

"So it would seem." He started to push himself up to sit but she was kissing him again, leaned over him and hair falling into his face. He relaxed into it, feeling a smile pull his lips and he reached a hand up to cup her face.

"You okay?" Henry asked after a moment, gaining both adults' attention. Belle, to her credit, grew a bit red in the face at forgetting he was standing there and waiting.

"Henry," Rumple breathed out, pulling himself up and Belle helped him. "I was right then. You brought us back."

The boy gave an awkward shrug. "Sorry."

"No, lad. You saved my life."

"Really?"

"Really."

A grin broke out across his grandson's face and without warning he piled onto the bed, wrapping his arms around Rumple's neck. Belle was the only reason he didn't fall back again and he froze for a moment, unsure how to respond. When the boy didn't let go he sighed, wrapping an arm carefully around him. "I'm okay," he promised. "Thanks to you and Belle."

The bedroom door nearly came off its hinges and Bae looked to have been running. "Pop?"

His father flashed him a wide, mischievous grin. "Bit late to the party, Bae."

"You're not funny," his son managed through a relieved sound that might have been a laugh.

The grin only broadened. "Yeah I am."

"Is he okay?" a voice sounded from the hall.

"Yeah. Cheeky as always," Bae called back to Snow, but a smile had taken over and he perched on the edge of the bed with his son and father. He ruffled Henry's hair. "You scared me with that call, kid."

"He _was_ unconscious," Henry said in his own defense. "Belle kissed him and woke him up."

Belle beamed at the statement and nudged Rumplestiltskin. "You know what that means?"

"Hmm?" he asked, leaned against the headboard and looking ready to fall back asleep. It would seem that near-death experiences took a lot out of him these days.

"It means it's True Love."

His lips tilted upward in a smile.

Baelfire looked a bit awkward as he tugged Henry off the bed. "Well, Pop, you okay? Do we need to take you by the hospital and have… whoever take a look at you?"

"No, I'm just tired."

His son glanced over to Belle, a silent conversation letting him know that she'd stay with him. "Then we'll let you sleep."

"Can't we stay, Dad?" Henry asked, looking up at his father and the expression he gave reminded Rumplestiltskin of ones that Bae had given him many years before, when he was about that age and wanted something that he didn't think his father would give.

"He needs rest, Henry. C'mon, let's let him get some, huh? Maybe after he's feeling better he'll come out to the park with us."

There was that look. Bae had never stopped giving it to him, apparently. "Sure," he agreed and found himself wanting to.

His son flashed a wide smile. "Enough close calls, okay? Sleep well."

Rumple and Belle heard Bae shut the door behind them and voices faded softly as they left. Dark eyes lulled and he slipped down to lean against his pillows again, feeling drained. "I don't even want to know how many people were just here."

Belle found herself laughing at him. "They were worried about you."

"My… what a turn."

"That's what happens when you do good things. You make these strange bonds. Most people call them friendships," she teased, kissing his cheek. "Would you like me to go or…?"

"You can stay, if you'd like."

He was always so sure with everything except these. It pulled a smile from her as she nestled down, wrapping an arm around his middle and laying her head against his chest, ear pressed against it so he could hear his steady heartbeat and breathing. It lulled her to sleep, the constant reminder that he was there with her.

* * *

The cool air caused him to pull his overcoat a little closer around his thin shoulders as he limped his way down the path, the park in the distance. He'd been cooped up for over a week, feeling unwell enough the first few days not to argue over Belle's fussing, but as his strength returned to him, so did his own stubborn independence. Bae and Henry had been by nearly every day, updating them on all the happenings. Rumple had been surprised at the number of people that had noticed his absence, though Belle seemed to find it to enforce her earlier theory about his more recent efforts.

This was the first time Rumplestiltskin had been able to slip out since their return. The town looked entirely unchanged for having been ripped from existence. He'd dropped by his shop first, poking his head in to make sure that no one had taken advantage of his temporary absence. Everything was back in place, a few new items having been brought over.

Once he was certain everything was in order and locked back up he continued on to the park. He could hear laughter ringing through the crisp New England air and as he moved closer a strange sort of peace settled over him. Certainly a feeling that he was not accustomed to.

Bae was leaned up against a railing, watching Henry test the height of the tire swing, Emma and Regina with the boy and Snow and Charming not far off. He knew why his son was waiting where he was and he slowly made his way to him, cane tapping with every step.

"You just missed Mom," Baelfire called as he approached.

"Good to know I still have my timing down."

"You're looking better."

Thin lips perked at the edges. "I should. I had to sneak out of the house just to come here. Belle's been very persistent."

Bae grinned and met his father with a surprising hug. Rumple returned it quickly. "What was that for?"

"Just glad you're okay. We keep cutting it close."

They settled in, something entirely familiar about the setting. After a few moments of silence, Bae glanced to the side. "Regina said there's no magic left in Storybrooke."

"She's right about that. It must have ripped it away when all of you left."

"You going to find a way to bring it back?"

"Nope."

"Seriously?"

Rumplestiltskin snorted. "Don't go thinking it's for any higher cause, my boy," he teased. "I'd very much like to keep my own magic close at hand, but it's safer for everyone if we keep it far away."

"I take it you haven't found it yet."

"She has it, but as long as we're here and there is no magic, that doesn't matter."

"You think your name's still attached to it?"

"Oh yeah."

Bae didn't ask why and Rumplestiltskin didn't volunteer the information. That would be left for another day, because for the first time in a long while now, they had many days to look forward to. The Witch, even if she followed them, had no power here, and they had their family together. Henry gave a wave from his place, calling out that he could nearly flip it over the top bar. It was quiet, that mid morning in Storybrooke, the breeze blowing in off the ocean to chill them, but there was something soothing about it. Something right. Something that felt like home.

* * *

END

Notes: *deep breath* Well, that was a long one. Many, many, many thanks to those of you who have been along for the ride, if from the beginning or you hopped in somewhere in the middle. Your reviews mean the world to me! So... I had been playing with this idea that would immediately follow this story, and Robin4 talked me into it. I actually had some time to get started on it today, so keep an eye out for it to start going up either tomorrow or Thursday. It will be called _The Greater Darkness_ and it's going to pick up in Storybrooke about 3 weeks after they're plopped back into the Land Without Magic.

Hope you guys have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. See you in the next one :)

TS


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